A D.C. police officer has been stripped of his police powers and is facing multiple charges after authorities say he attempted to intervene in his girlfriend’s DUI arrest and showed signs of impairment himself.
The Metropolitan Police Department said it all started just after 3 a.m. Saturday in the 1600 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. Officers pulled over a woman for allegedly sideswiping a parked vehicle and suspected she might be under the influence, according to charging documents obtained by News4.
Police said that woman, identified as 36-year-old Chenique Chanel Lofton, told officers she was on the phone with her boyfriend, a D.C. police officer.
That’s when 37-year-old John Bewley, an officer who was off-duty at the time, showed up to the scene in his marked police cruiser, according to authorities.
Bewley “made multiple attempts to interfere and obstruct” the officer who was testing Lofton's sobriety “by approaching and yelling at the suspect and telling her to leave the scene with him,” charging documents state. He also allegedly ignored the officers on scene who were telling him to stay away.
Police also said Bewley was showing signs of impairment and had a “strong odor of alcohol.”
Court records say that Bewley, an 11-year veteran of the force and a member of the department's special operations division, was arrested and charged with DUI, obstruction of justice and resisting arrest.
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Lofton was also charged with DUI.
The Metropolitan Police Department revoked Bewley’s police powers as the Internal Affairs Division investigates the incident.
Court records show he pleaded not guilty and has another court appearance set for Dec. 11.
