Louisville police officer arrested for DUI while off duty in Hardin County

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville Metro Police officer is on paid leave after his arrest for an alleged DUI in Hardin County.

Officer Kenneth Lawrence, 31, was arrested last week while off duty, according to LMPD Spokesperson Sgt. Matt Sanders.

According to a copy of his arrest citation, Lawrence was driving a motorcycle on Dixie Highway in Hardin County just before 11 p.m. June 4 when he was pulled over for having a expired registration plate.

The arresting officer noted Lawrence said he worked for LMPD and had his off-duty weapon on him. When the officer told Lawrence why he was stopped, he said he'd just bought the motorcycle and had registered it in Hardin County, but had yet to put on the new registration plate.

While speaking with Lawrence as he showed proof of registration and insurance, the officer could smell alcohol and asked Lawrence how much he'd had to drink.

Lawrence admitted to drinking "a few beers" about three to four hours before the traffic stop, according to his arrest report, and he complied when asked to perform a field sobriety test.

Police noted Lawrence could not maintain balance during instructions and had to be reminded to look at his toes when performing a one-leg standing test.

The officer told Lawrence he believed he was "near the legal limit" and asked him to take a breathalyzer test, which he declined after he "debated for several minutes."

Lawrence was arrested for DUI and asked if he still lived at the address listed on his license. He said he did not, and provided a current address where he said he's lived for over a month.

He was taken to the Radcliff Police Department, where police said his mouth was "visually inspected for any foreign substances."

An hour and a half after pulling him over, the officer again asked Lawrence to perform a breathalyzer test. He complied, and his BAC was .077.

Lawrence declined a blood test and was taken to the Hardin County Detention Center on several charges, including DUI, failure to notify the transportation department of an address change, and improper display of registration plates.

According to jail records, Lawrence was booked just after 1 a.m. June 5 and released just after 8 a.m.

LMPD launched an internal investigation after learning about Lawrence's arrest, Sanders said. He was placed on paid administrative leave, pending the results of that investigation.

Lawrence is scheduled to be arraigned on his charges June 25.

This story may be updated.

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