2 Ogden officers face unrelated DUI charges

HARRISVILLE, Weber County — Two Ogden police officers are facing DUI charges in unrelated cases.

Detective Robert Buck, 34, and officer Jared Ingalsbe, 28, are each charged with one count of class B misdemeanor DUI.

The charge against Ingalsbe stems from a June 30 single-vehicle crash, said Harrisville Police Chief Max Jackson. Ingalsbe told responding officers he had fallen asleep at the wheel, the chief said. His car struck a power pole and several trees.

"Four vehicles were damaged by debris," Jackson said. "He didn't (make) contact with them, but four vehicles were damaged by debris."

Ingalsbe was taken to an Ogden area hospital for treatment of minor injuries. While at the hospital, Ingalsbe consented to provide Harrisville police with a blood sample, Jackson said.

"Last week his blood results came back, and at the time of the accident, he would have been at or slightly above the legal limit and had a prescription drug on-board," he said.

The chief said Ingalsbe has a valid prescription for the medication, but would only identify it as a sleep aid.

Jackson said Buck's arrest occurred Sunday, shortly after midnight, when a Harrisville officer stopped him for speeding and a driving pattern consistent with impairment. Buck was cooperative with officers, Jackson said, taking field sobriety tests and a Breathalyzer before being cited with DUI and then released to a responsible party.

"We typically cite and release 90 percent of our DUIs," Jackson said. "If they're belligerent, too drunk, have a warrant, or it's their second offense, we'll book them as a general rule. We treated him like we treat everyone else."

Neither officer was on duty at the time of his arrest and neither was driving a police vehicle, Jackson said.

Ogden Assistant Police Chief Wayne Tarwater said Buck, a 10-year department veteran, and Ingalsbe, who's been with the agency for about five years, have both been placed on paid administrative leave. The department has launched an internal affairs investigation into the men's arrests, he said.

"I think that the public probably understands that officers are human, just like everybody else," Tarwater said. "After all, we hire from the same gene pool — the human race.

"We all have problems from time to time," Tarwater said, "and I think (the public) just needs to have confidence that the police department will deal with it in the proper manner, which I think we are."

The assistant chief said he is not aware of any prior disciplinary action against either Ingalsbe or Buck. He said once the department probe is complete, the findings will be forwarded to investigators with Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training, the state agency responsible for certifying police officers.

POST investigators will look at aggravating and mitigating factors in their review of each case, according to Cameron Roden, spokesman for the Utah Department of Public Safety. They will then make a recommendation to the POST Council, which ultimately decides if a law enforcement officer is punished and to what degree.

Roden said the common sanction for an officer convicted of a misdemeanor DUI is a two-year suspension of their certification.

e-mail: gliesik@desnews.com