The Fort Worth Police Department is investigating two of its own officers for alcohol-related crimes that may cost the officers their jobs.
Internal Affairs is looking into the actions of two officers, one, Beau Lebouef, accused of boating while intoxicated and the other, Ricky Nichols, suspected of drinking and driving.
State Game Wardens arrested officer Lebouef Saturday night on Eagle Mountain Lake for suspicion of boating while intoxicated and endangering a child. Tuesday afternoon, NBC 5 learned he has been placed on restrictive duty.
Lebouef's arrest came just a day after Arlington police said Fort Worth officer Ricky Nichols crashed his motorcycle, seriously injuring himself and his passenger Cathleen Nichols. The driver of a pick-up truck has been cited for failure to yield after pulling out in front of Nichols. Investigators are waiting for results of Nichols blood test and suspect he’d been driving under the influence.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Nichols' on-the-job status has not changed.
Fort Worth Chief of Police Jeffrey Halstead started the new year with a new policy: His officers will not be able to get by with breaking the law when it comes to drinking.
“If you are sustained of the violation, you will not work at this organization,” said Halstead in January. “You cannot drink and drive any longer, unless you want to throw your career down the drain.”
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Tuesday, no one at the Fort Worth Police Department would talk on camera about the arrest of two of their officers.
“The filing of criminal charges will be determined by each agency filing and will based on the findings of the investigation. Until then, we are refraining from providing interviews due to the complexity of each case,” said Sharron Neal, with the Fort Worth Police Department, in an email to NBC 5.
Charges are pending against both officers. The police union president said the officers are own their own to defend themselves. If convicted, they’ll lose their police license and their career as an officer in the state of Texas would be over.
Nearly 20 Fort Worth officers have been arrested in drunken driving cases in the past four years, including Halstead’s own former Chief of Staff.
