Lakewood officer arrested for DUI after crashing police car

GIG HARBOR, Wash. (AP) — A Lakewood police officer was arrested for driving under the influence after crashing his police vehicle.

The News Tribune reports John Unfred, an assistant chief with the Lakewood Police Department, says Officer Eric Bell was arrested Sept. 23 and released the same day after the single-vehicle wreck.

Unfred says Gig Harbor police responded to the crash at about 9 p.m. and found the vehicle crashed off the roadway. They found Bell, who appeared to be intoxicated, nearby.

Bell was off duty at the time of the crash.

Unfred says Bell was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

The unmarked police vehicle Bell was driving was a total loss, Unfred says.

The investigation was turned over to the Washington State Patrol.