Charges: St. Louis Park Officer Drove Drunk, Says She Hates Being A Cop

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A St. Louis Park police officer is on administrative leave, accused of driving drunk, hitting a parked car and saying she hates that she's a cop, according to charges filed Monday by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.

Chaunte Lee Ford, 27 of Brooklyn Park, was charged with two counts of DWI, collision with an unattended vehicle, careless driving and obstructing the legal process interfering with a peace officer in connection with the Aug. 5 incident.

According to a criminal complaint, an officer was off-duty walking back toward the NE Palace Bar at about 11:15 p.m. that night when he heard a loud crash or what sounded like a car accident. As the officer approached, multiple patrons were outside the bar yelling and waving their arms as a vehicle had just hit a parked car in the area of Lowry and University Avenues in northeast Minneapolis.

Witnesses said the car drove away slowly after the crash. The complaint states the front air bag in the car deployed, and the driver was heading toward the curb with the tire rim grinding on it. The driver, identified as Ford, stopped in a parking lot.

The complaint states the off-duty officer told Ford to get out of the car, she said something that was hard to understand and said she was sorry. She got out of her car and the officer detected alcohol on her. She started to cry and told the officer she was a cop and that she was sorry. She became hysterical, saying "I f----ed up" several times.

According to the complaint, she told officers she had consumed alcohol earlier in the night. She was also being hostile towards the officers, making obscene gestures and yelling at them. When asked if she needed an ambulance, Ford said, "F--k you. I don't need an ambulance. F--k that and f--k you."

The complaint states she also made anti-police statements, including "F--k the police! I f---ing hate cops and I hate that I am a cop! All you guys do is harass black people!"

At one point, Ford pulled down her pants, squatted on the ground and urinated. The complaint states she refused a field sobriety testing and a preliminary breath test. She got on the ground, sobbed, yelled and resisted arrest before being taken into custody.

The complaint states Ford eventually agreed to a breath test, which showed a blood alcohol content of .20, more than twice the legal limit for driving, at 2:05 a.m.

If convicted, she faces more than two years in prison and $9,000 in fines.

Officials with the City of St. Louis Park say that Ford was placed on administrative leave on Aug. 6, and they are determining a process for an internal review.