Local

Police: Drunken OPD officer hits parked cars, drives away

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando police officer was arrested over the weekend after hitting two parked cars and fleeing the scene while intoxicated, the Orlando Police Department said.

Officer Michael Lemmerman, 33, who was off-duty and driving his personal vehicle, was stopped by a Manatee County sheriff’s deputy Saturday when he was seen swerving on the roadway, the department said in a release.

Lemmerman was linked to the hit-and-run, which happened in the 7000 block of 46th Avenue West in Bradenton, during a Florida Highway Patrol investigation.

Authorities said Lemmerman later admitted to having "five or six beers" while visiting his brother, and "going out to bars."

Troopers said Lemmerman refused field sobriety tests, and when he stepped out of the vehicle, he "almost fell over."

He was arrested and charged with DUI and hit-and-run.

Lemmerman has been with OPD since 2012, and was assigned to the midnight patrol, the department said.

He was relieved of his law enforcement duties, credentials and firearm, pending an internal investigation, OPD said.

The DUI and hit-and-run were being investigated by FHP.