Friday, Jan. 28, 2005 | 10:39 a.m.
A Metro Police lieutenant arrested in October on suspicion of drunken driving retired earlier this week, a little more than a week before he was to stand trial in Utah.
Lt. Chris Van Cleef, the subject of an internal investigation after his Oct. 2 arrest outside Cedar City, Utah, on suspicion of drunken driving, retired from the department effective Jan. 22. He had still been on the job while the department pursued the off-duty conduct investigation, Officer Jose Montoya, a Metro spokesman, said.
Van Cleef, 47, was expected to appear in a Utah courtroom next week.
Depending on the outcome of his criminal trial, Van Cleef could have faced additional department discipline that could have jeopardized his retirement benefits, Montoya said. By retiring, Van Cleef sidesteps any department-mandated punishment, Montoya said.
Van Cleef, a 25-year Metro veteran, was stationed at the department's Southwest Area Command.
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