Tacoma Police Officer Accused Of DUI

A veteran Tacoma police officer arrested for driving while drunk over the weekend had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit, investigators told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

Tacoma Officer Accused Of DUI

Officer Paul Brown, 52, entered a plea of not guilty Monday after his arrest last weekend in Lewis County.

Lewis County Sheriff's deputies and State Patrol Troopers spotted Brown weaving on Highway 12 after drivers called 911. He was pulled over and registered a .24 on a blood alcohol test, police said.

Court documents obtained by KIRO 7 Eyewitness News show Brown allegedly tried to hide his police badge in his pants leg and that he was carrying a gun at the time he was arrested.

Brown has been put on paid administrative leave.

Last month, another Tacoma police officer was arrested and charged with driving with a with a blood-alcohol level nearly double the legal limit.

Officer Joseph Mettler pleaded not guilty to DUI charges after registering a .14 blood alcohol level.

Arrest reports said that empty cans of beer were found in Mettler's vehicle, along with a "plethora of mints" that the driver was trying to consume once he realized that he was being pulled over.