Former Police Officer Arraigned for Indiana DUI in Indianapolis

Detective crashed two department issued vehicles and didn’t appear at first court hearing.

George Leon Benjamin, a former detective with the Indianapolis Metro Police Department, was arraigned Thursday on charges of driving under the influence in Indiana.

Benjamin was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday but he sent a message stating that he had entered an in-patient alcohol rehabilitation program. The judge ordered Benjamin to appear in court at 9:00 the next day. Benjamin, 46, has been charged with two incidents of drunk driving in Indianapolis after crashing a Ford Crown Victoria into an apartment maintenance building and then, just last Sunday, hitting a fence with a Ford Taurus. Both were department issued vehicles. In total, Benjamin faces one felony charge and five misdemeanors.

Benjamin told the court that he was working on hiring an Indianapolis DUI defense attorney. A plea of not guilty was entered and his driver’s license was suspended. Benjamin was ordered to not consume alcohol or operate a motor vehicle, and to comply with conditions of his alcohol abuse treatment. Benjamin was then booked and released.

Though Benjamin retired from the Metro police force on Tuesday, an internal investigation is being conducted.

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