Officer Joseph Pence was
charged with assault, wanton endangerment and driving drunk after police
arrested him, alleging he had glassy, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech,
according to the arrest report. Pence’s girlfriend told police he had been
drinking, according to the report.
He was released from Metro
Corrections on Sunday on his own recognizance and will be arraigned on July 25.
Pence said in a telephone conversation that he was “not allowed” to comment on
the case.
Pence, who has been with
the department for about three years, has been placed on administrative leave
and reassigned to desk duties, according Dwight Mitchell, a police spokesman.
His police powers have been limited pending the outcome of the investigation
and court proceedings.
Pence was off duty when he
got into a confrontation with some other people at the intersection of
Bardstown Road and Peabody Lane according to Mitchell.
The man whose vehicle was
struck, Jason Taylor, complained of hip and rib pain but his status is not yet
known.
A Louisville family filed
a lawsuit against Pence earlier this year alleging that he shot and killed
their dog without cause last year while chasing a burglary suspect in the
Shawnee neighborhood.
Police have said the dog
attacked and department policy allows officers to shoot domestic animals if
they are being threatened by the animal.
The lawsuit is pending.