Jeffrey Wolf Weighs In on CourtTV
In March 2019, Aurora Police Officer Nate Meier was found drunk while on duty and behind the wheel of a police car. The first officer called to the scene admitted smelling alcohol on Meier but chose not to invoke express consent.
All Colorado drivers (including police officers) have given express consent that they will submit to a chemical test for alcohol or drug use if a police officer finds probable cause that the driver is under the influence (DUI) or driving while ability impaired (DWAI).
Instead of exercising standard roadside sobriety evaluations, the officer on the scene treated the case as a medical situation. At the hospital, Meier’s blood alcohol level was five times over the legal limit for DUI. Meier also admitted to drinking alcohol.
Surprisingly, Meier was not arrested or charged with DUI.
District Attorney George Brauchler claimed Meier could not be charged with a DUI because of the way the Aurora Police Department mishandled the case. Prosecutors claim they do not have enough evidence to support the charge.
“I work cases in Arapahoe County against George Brauchler and his deputies, and they prosecute these cases all the time…they chose not to prosecute this one,” said Jeffrey Wolf in a recent interview on CourtTV.
“It’s funny to watch the Aurora Police Department on one side and the Arapahoe County DA’s office on the other side point the fingers at each other when in reality they’re both participating in this cover up,” Wolf concluded.
An internal affairs (AI) investigation has been launched into why the case was handled as a medical situation. Within hours of the investigation’s launch, the officer who called for medical assistance on the scene and, who at the time was Interim Chief of the Aurora Police Department and scheduled to succeed the outgoing Chief of Police, announced his retirement.
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