Off-duty Lawrence police detective arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence
A Lawrence police detective was arrested and placed on leave Saturday after crashing his car while allegedly impaired.
Officers responded to a call reporting the non-injury crash at 12:30 a.m. in the 1500 block of Lindenwood Lane, according to Laura McCabe, a spokeswoman for the Lawrence police.
The caller said they were at home and heard a crash from outside. Then, they discovered that their parked car had been struck by another vehicle and incurred damage.
When police arrived, they recognized the driver of the other vehicle as off-duty detective Adam Welch. He was driving his personal car.
An officer asked Kansas Highway Patrol to investigate, but they were not available so the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was called.
The arriving deputies believed Welch was driving under the influence and transported him to Douglas County Jail.
In a statement, Lawrence Police Chief Rick Lockhart said he was personally saddened by the incident.
“I am openly emotional about the professionals in this department,” he said. “It’s not good news.”
The Lawrence Police Department will not be involved in the ongoing investigation, McCabe said.
But the department will be doing an internal investigation and have placed Welch on paid administrative leave until the investigation is completed, per police protocol.
