Jessica Cole File Photo
(Updated.) Police Chief Frank Limon has placed Officer James Evarts on paid administrative leave after discovering that he was convicted of driving under the influence and is currently incarcerated.
That news was announced in a Tuesday evening press release from city spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga.
Evarts (pictured), a 12-year veteran of the force, was arrested in July and charged with a DUI. He had allegedly called in sick and then gotten himself pulled over by Old Saybrook police.
Chief Limon called for him to be fired, but after his fellow officers rallied around him, the Board of Police Commissioners handed him only a six-month suspension, in October.
Meanwhile, Evarts’ criminal case went forward. He pleaded no lo contendere and on Jan. 26 he was found guilty in a Middletown court of operating under the influence. He was sentenced to six months in jail, suspended after 10 days, and 18 months probation, according to the state judicial website.
Limon didn’t get the news that Evarts was in jail until Tuesday, nearly a week later. The state notified him Tuesday morning. According to Mayorga’s release, Limon placed Evarts on leave immediately upon learning of his conviction and the fact that he is “currently in a residential facility under the supervision of the Department of Corrections.”
Limon has also ordered an internal affairs investigation to begin and has asked for Evarts’ badge and gun to be immediately surrendered.
“It’s disappointing to have to find out from another agency that a member of our department is under the control of the Department of Corrections for an off-duty incident that occurred in another jurisdiction,” Limon said in the release. “This incident should not reflect on the dedicated men and women of our Department who are committed to selflessly serving the New Haven community.”
Mayorga said the chief will be considering examining the case and deciding whether to again call for Evarts’ termination.
Reached Wednesday by phone, Rick Epstein, the head of the Board of Police Commissioners, said “We’re certainly look into it. We’ll investigate it. … I don’t have any other details.”