Dallas Cop Fell Asleep at an Intersection, Wandered Off After Field Sobriety Test, Highland Park PD Says

By Stephen Young Tue., Dec. 2 2014 at 5:12 AM

Highland Park Police Department

Aaron Rodarte

Aaron Rodarte, the Dallas Police Department officer arrested for DWI in Highland Park early Sunday morning, was found passed out in his BMW at the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and Roland Avenue, according to Highland Park police.

Officers pounded on Rodarte's windows to wake him up. When he finally did and got out of the car, he stunk of booze and flunked a field sobriety test, the officers said. As the Highland Park officers thought he was a threat to himself and others, they attempted to arrest Rodarte. He ran from the officers on foot but was quickly caught.

Later, Rodarte's breath sample would test at 0.114 and 0.111 BAC, both more than the Texas legal limit of .08 BAC.

Rodarte has been charged with driving while intoxicated and evading arrest, both misdemeanors, and was released from Dallas County Jail after posting bond.

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Sharon_Moreanus topcommenter

I wouldn't call him a cop...more of a paper pusher - admin officer/civilian. He was a library aid til two years ago with a BBA degree from NU in Cedar Hill.

The fun part about him running is that he is the chair of the DPD running club.

SportsHo

A cop can afford a Beamer? Sounds fishy..

roo_ster

In the intersection or parked near the intersection?

The former, yeah bust him.

Parked and sleeping one off, leave the fool be.

ozonelarryb topcommenter

Another hero first responder.

ScottsMerkin topcommenter

passed out with only a .111? Lightweight

Montemalone topcommenter

Being the glass half full kinda guy that I am:

Hey, at least he didn't shoot anybody!

BushwoodSmithie

@SportsHo Wait outside the DPD Central Division parking lot and watch how many Mercedes, BMWs and Cadillacs pass by.

Those moonlighting gigs pay very well.

TheCredibleHulk topcommenter

@SportsHo

This is Dallas.

Having =/= Affording

casiepierce

@SportsHo Didn't you ever hear about the "$30,000 millionaire" douchebags who run rampant in Dallas, with their leased BMW 300 series?

everlastingphelps topcommenter

@roo_ster There aren't any parking lots near Mockingbird and Roland. Roland runs along as part of the Dallas Parkway. So he likely was (at best) in the right lane parked.

He's on the street, behind the wheel, passed out. Bust him.

TheCredibleHulk topcommenter

@roo_ster

Nah. They'd nail any other schlub in the same circumstance.

Good to see that he's getting treated like any other drunk.

everlastingphelps topcommenter

@ScottsMerkin He blew a .111 at the station when they finally got him there. Note the "later". (That's an old trick I had heard about -- "put the breathalyzer off as long as you can, so you have time to metabolize more." Of course, the other one was, "take the breathalyzer as soon as you can before the stuff in your stomach can get to your bloodstream.")

(The best trick, of course, is to call uber.)

primi_timpano topcommenter

@scott: no drug test.

markzero

@Montemalone And at least he didn't run into anyone or anything, either. That we know of. This time.

I hope he deals with his drinking problem, because if there is a next time, he/we may not be so lucky.

everlastingphelps topcommenter

@BushwoodSmithie @SportsHo And yet cops are always broke.

roo_ster

@everlastingphelps @roo_ster

In general, my philosophy requires actual risk or harm to be done to merit arrest. A drunk sleeping behind the wheel of a parked car is doing no harm (assuming parked, car not in gear, etc.).

OTOH, if an average citizen would get busted for some particular action/circumstance, LEOs need to get busted, too. Apply bad law and policy early, often, and forcefully, _especially to the enforcers_.

ScottsMerkin topcommenter

@everlastingphelps @ScottsMerkin but the news tells me know that Uber drivers will rape or murder me

everlastingphelps topcommenter

@roo_ster @everlastingphelps No, I'm with you, but this isn't that situation. This isnt' a guy sleeping it off in his car behind the bar. This was a guy sitting in his car on the service road of a major highway, far from any drinking establishments or his home. He had to have driven there, and he more than likely was going to drive some more once he stopped, you know, passing out.

And frankly, just knowing how cops operate, if he lived anywhere near there, they likely would have just driven him home if he hadn't tried to run off (since, like you said, they could say that he wasn't driving and they hadn't run a breathalyzer on him yet.)

everlastingphelps topcommenter

@ScottsMerkin @everlastingphelps Yeah, but jailhouse deputies are rapier than uber drivers, and you'll be raped in a much cleaner crime scene in the back of the town car.