SUTTONS BAY -- A former Leelanau County sheriff's deputy who allegedly was so drunk he could barely stand after an alcohol-fueled traffic crash shouldn't get his job back, an arbitrator said.
Christopher Roberts was off-duty in his personal vehicle on Feb. 3 at about 7 p.m. as he drove north on U.S. 31 near Meijer, according to a police report. He turned into the path of a vehicle headed south and was struck, causing heavy damage to both vehicles.
Roberts, who worked for the department from 2000 until he was fired Feb. 25, argued termination was too stiff a penalty. Arbitrator Richard Mittenthal disagreed, citing his "reckless disregard for the safety of himself and others."
A Grand Traverse deputy who responded to the crash said Roberts staggered and fell during questioning, according to the report. He also had a "very strong odor of intoxicants coming from his breath" and slurred speech.
Roberts initially refused to take a breath test, then took one but didn't follow instructions, prohibiting the deputy from obtaining a good reading, according to reports.
"The seriousness of his misconduct was compounded by his failure to cooperate with the officer who arrested him ... his uncooperative attitude could only be attributed to a wish to evade the consequences of being arrested for (drunken driving)," Mittenthal wrote.
The union cited a case in which another deputy who was arrested for drunken driving was given an unpaid suspension instead of being fired. That deputy, Mark Stevens, cooperated with police and didn't cause a crash, Sheriff Mike Oltersdorf said.
Stevens was arrested in 2005 and no longer works for the department.
Roberts eventually pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated on March 3 and was sentenced to six months probation.
"There are no winners in a situation like this," Oltersdorf said. "It cost the county a lot of money to defend against this, and a formerly good employee lost his job."
Roberts couldn't be reached for comment.
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