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on November 10, 2014 at 5:11 PM, updated November 10, 2014 at 5:12 PM
STURGIS, MI – Prosecutors are alleging a Sturgis police officer had a blood-alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit when he crashed his truck while off duty on Oct. 26, 2014, near Climax.
Bryan L. Stuck, 29, of Bronson, was charged Friday, Nov. 7, 2014, with one count each of operating a motor vehicle with a high blood-alcohol content of 0.17 percent or higher and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said Monday.
The high BAC charge is a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of six months in jail and a fine of $200 to $700, Getting said. The OWI charge is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a fine of $100 to $500.
A date for Stuck's arraignment in Kalamazoo County District Court had not been scheduled, as of Monday, Nov. 10, 2014.
Kalamazoo County sheriff's investigators have said previously that Stuck was driving at about 2 a.m. on Oct. 26 on 44th Street near PQ Avenue when he crashed his pickup truck. Stuck, who was the lone occupant in the truck, was taken to a Kalamazoo hospital after the crash where he was treated and released.
Investigators have said Stuck was off duty at the time of the crash.
He was placed on paid leave by the Sturgis Police Department last month following the incident, pending results of the investigation by the sheriff's office, Sturgis Deputy Police Chief David Ives said at the time.
On Monday, Nov. 10, officials from the Sturgis Police Department said in a news release that Stuck has been suspended for two weeks following an internal investigation.
Officials said that Stuck informed the administration at the Sturgis Police & Fire Department following the crash that he was being investigated for drunk driving and that a blood test was performed on him at the hospital.
In addition to his suspension, officials said Stuck is taking part in mandatory counseling and that "a last chance agreement has been agreed to."
"The officer has been cooperative and forthright regarding this investigation both criminally and internally," Sturgis Public Safety Director Geoffrey Smith said in the news release.
Rex Hall Jr. is a public safety reporter for the Kalamazoo Gazette. You can reach him at rhall2@mlive.com. Follow him on Twitter.
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