OREGON CITY, Ore. (KOIN) �?The Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday filed 9 misdemeanor charges against an officer assigned to the Portland Police Bureau stemming from a suspected drunk driving crash.
All of the charges against Officer Daniel Craig Chastain are Class-A misdemeanors.
According to court records, he is charged with 3 counts of recklessly endangering another person, 2 counts of second-degree criminal mischief and one count each of DUII, fourth-degree assault, reckless driving and first-degree official misconduct.
The crash occurred April 25 in Happy Valley, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
Court documents state that Chastain “did unlawfully and knowingly�?operate a City of Portland owned vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Prosecutors allege the officer “consumed alcohol to the extent that his driving capability (was) impaired, and (carried) personal use alcohol in a police vehicle…�?with intent to obtain a benefit, “to wit: free use of (a) city owned vehicle.�?
The driver of a Toyota pickup was injured in the crash. The owner of that pickup incurred damages to his vehicle in excess of $500, according to court documents. Clackamas County also incurred damages in excess of $500 to its round-about roadway.
The charging document against Chastain was drafted on Wednesday. It was not formally filed with the court until Thursday afternoon.
An arraignment date has been set for Wednesday, May 25.
Chastain is a 17-year-veteran with the police bureau. He was assigned to the Tactical Operations Division. He was placed, and remains on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure, pending the resolution of the case in Clackamas County.
“The Portland Police Bureau cannot comment further on a personnel matter because it could interfere with the process of conducting a neutral, objective internal investigation and the Bureau must protect public employees’ privacy interests consistent with the Oregon Public Records Law and relevant collective bargaining agreements,�?the bureau said in a prepared statement at the time of crash.
Once the criminal investigation is complete, the incident will be the subject of an internal review and presentation to a police review board, the bureau stated.
Because Chastain was cited by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, he was not booked into the county jail.