Kieran Nicholson and Tom McGhee
The Denver Post

03/23/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT

Updated: 03/23/2010 01:58:32 AM MDT
   

Colorado State Patrol Trooper David Dolan. (The Denver Post) 

A uniformed Colorado State Patrol trooper in a marked patrol car was pulled over Monday and arrested on suspicion of drinking and driving.

Douglas County sheriff's deputies stopped 21-year veteran David Dolan, 48, about 7:05 a.m., after numerous motorists reported a State Patrol car driving erratically on northbound Interstate 25 near Castle Rock.

Dolan was handcuffed and booked into Douglas County Jail on suspicion of DUI, DUI per se and prohibited use of weapons.

Booking information is a public record typically available from Douglas County, But information on Dolan was not provided, and a jail official referred questions to a Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, who did not return calls.

Col. James Wolfinbarger, chief of the State Patrol, said he is "disturbed and upset" by the incident. "Anything that tarnishes our badge disturbs me greatly."

Dolan has been placed on unpaid leave pending the outcome of the criminal investigation. The State Patrol's Internal Affairs division also is investigating.

Once the investigations are complete, Dolan will have an administrative hearing that could lead to penalties up to and including termination.

A woman who answered the telephone listed in Dolan's name said, "No comment," and hung up Monday afternoon.

Dolan is assigned to a unit in Colorado Springs, and his duties include investigating the backgrounds of candidates for the Colorado State Patrol Academy in Golden, Wolfinbarger said.

Although Dolan doesn't work at the academy, that is where he said he was headed when he was stopped, Wolfinbarger said.

"I don't know why he was going there," Wolfinbarger said. "He was not on routine patrol."

After receiving reports of a weaving patrol car, the State Patrol called sheriff's dispatchers asking for assistance in "locating the vehicle and checking on the welfare of the driver," according to a media release from the sheriff's office.

A Douglas County deputy spotted the cruiser on westbound C-470 near South Santa Fe Drive and pulled it over near South Platte Canyon Road, the release said.

"After contacting the driver, who was confirmed to be a Colorado State Trooper in full uniform, he was taken into custody for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol," the release said.

Although State Patrol officers have been arrested before, Wolfinbarger said he has never seen a trooper arrested for driving drunk while on duty.

"I have never seen anything like this," he said. "We have a 75-year history of combating impaired and drunken driving and are deeply committed to eradicating this senseless crime on our roads."

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14735791#ixzz0izbw0T0V