Happy Valley crash 2.jpg
A Portland police officer was cited for intoxicated driving and other charges after crashing an unmarked city-owned car into a pickup while allegedly driving drunk in Happy Valley on April 25. Both drivers survived the crash.
(Clackamas County Sheriff's Office)
Daniel Chastain
Correction appended.
A Portland police officer is still on administrative leave after being sentenced to jail this week for crashing an unmarked police car while drunk.
Officer Daniel Chastain, an 18-year police veteran on the gang enforcement team, will remain on leave pending the conclusion of an internal review, said Portland police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson on Wednesday. He said the police bureau couldn't comment on the conviction or the internal investigation until the review is complete. Simpson did not know when the review would conclude.
Chastain, 43, was sentenced to 32 days in jail Monday for driving under the influence of intoxicants, fourth-degree assault and reckless driving. He has been on leave since the April 25 crash.
According to a Clackamas County prosecutor, Chastain was driving at 80 mph in an unmarked police car when he crashed into a pickup while approaching a roundabout in Happy Valley. He was off duty, but on-call at the time. The squad car landed upside down in shrubbery in the middle of the roundabout and the pickup was totaled.
Chastain and the other driver were not seriously injured. Chastain refused a breath test at the scene and his blood-alcohol content was determined to be 0.25 percent at least two hours after the crash. The legal limit in Oregon is 0.08 percent.
Chastain's attorney said his client's struggles with alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder he sustained from his job contributed to the crash.
-- Everton Bailey Jr.
ebailey@oregonian.com
503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
*Note: A previous version of this article misstated Daniel Chastain's rank and number of years employed as a Portland police officer because of misinformation from his attorney.