A Cleveland police officer, Deonte L. White, age 32, has been charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OVI) after a crash into a telephone pole in Parma Heights and is currently off active duty. Remote from control and one that wields significant power, the incident that took place on Dec. 6th has led to White being charged with additional counts of using weapons while intoxicated, as well as a traffic violation for failure to maintain reasonable control, according to FOX8 News.
Witnesses on the scene recounted hearing the crash and then observing White stumble out of his black Cadillac SUV before attempting to drive off. Nonetheless, responding officers from Parma Heights had to intervene to prevent White from entering the road and returning to his vehicle, which he claimed was not his, despite the registration indicating otherwise. As reported by Cleveland19 News, White refused to take a breath test at the North Royalton Jail and has been placed on administrative restricted duty pending an internal investigation.
Moreover, body camera footage released by Parma Heights police exhibits the moments following the collision with White after being escorted away from hazardous downed power lines, alternating between denials and admissions regarding ownership of the crashed vehicle. "I had to gain control of his arms several more times in order to keep him from going into the roadway and also from going back to his vehicle," Patrolman Joseph Rizk wrote, documenting the difficulty faced during the arrest. This account, among other details, was revealed by FOX8 News.
The Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association has confirmed White's employment with the force but refrained from further comments. "He began to look at me and wink his eye, in what I believed to be asking if he should test," said Rizk in a police report, indicating White's attempt to seek guidance on whether to undergo sobriety testing. White's arraignment is scheduled for tomorrow in Parma Heights Mayor's Court, and his court record reflects that he is not insured, as obtained by FOX8 News.
