news-record.com

HIGH POINT -- A Thomasville Police Department official has been placed on leave following his weekend arrest on suspicion of driving while impaired.

Capt. Loren Wesley, 47, was charged with DWI after he was stopped at a "Booze It & Lose It" checkpoint in High Point on Interstate 85 Business Loop near W. Green Drive about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, according to High Point police.

Wesley underwent a Breathalyzer test at the scene and registered a 0.08 blood alcohol level, said High Point police Capt. Tony Hamrick.

A motorist with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or above is considered impaired under state law.

Wesley was placed on administrative leave from his job, pending the outcome of an investigation into the charge.

Wesley has worked for the department since 1989, most recently overseeing the field operations division, which includes the patrol, traffic and K-9 units.

He started as a patrol officer and has served in the department's criminal investigations division, vice narcotics division and professional standards unit. He advanced up the department ranks, from officer to sergeant and lieutenant, before being promoted to captain in January 2010.

Wesley was released at the scene by a magistrate on a written promise to appear in District Court on Jan. 9.

The checkpoint was part of a statewide holiday crackdown. High Point police were assisted by the Greensboro Police Department, Guilford County Sheriff's Office, N.C. State Highway Patrol, N.C. A&T State University police and UNC Greensboro police.