Seattle Police Detective Arrested of DUI
Like every other law enforcement agency, the Seattle Police Department places a strong emphasis on catching drunk drivers. Through a combination of education, awareness, and enforcement, SPD tries to send the message that driving under the influence in the city will not be tolerated.
But that message was undermined last week when a Seattle police narcotics detective was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.
John Fox was driving in Mukilteo about 1:20pm on October 27 when his GMC Yukon slammed into the back of another vehicle, creating a chain-reaction four-vehicle collision. Though no one was hurt in the crash, Mukilteo police report that Fox’s speech was slow, his eyes were watery and bloodshot, and his lack of balance was causing him to stagger and stumble. After searching his SUV, police found several minibar-sized bottles of peppermint schnapps, a bottle of vodka which was nearly empty, three handguns, and other law enforcement equipment.
When approached by police, Fox refused to submit to a breathalyzer test or field sobriety tests, which resulted in his driver’s license being suspended. State law allows for Fox’s license to remain suspended for up to a year for declining to allow police to measure his blood alcohol content.
Another troubling facet of this case was the Fox reportedly told Mukilteo police that he was engaged in undercover activity at the time of the incident. Seattle police have so far been unable to confirm whether this was case. But the two most common answers to this question are unsettling: either Fox wasn’t actually undercover and lied about it to Mukilteo police, or he was undercover and caused a traffic accident while appearing to be intoxicated and was out of his jurisdiction.
Fox, a 23-year veteran of SPD, has pled not guilty to his DUI charge. In addition to his criminal proceedings, Fox faces an internal investigation by the department. Fox was convicted of DUI back in 1994 in Issaquah and was fined, ordered to take an alcohol education course, and incarcerated in jail for one day.