Former JCPS officer arrested for second time in 2 weeks, faces new charges

A former Jefferson County Public Schools resource officer was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk on the University of Louisville's campus, nearly two weeks after he was accused by police of drinking alcohol in a government-issued vehicle.

Christopher Minniear, 51, faces charges of reckless driving and possessing an open alcohol container, according to the arrest citation. A third charge, third-degree criminal mischief, was dismissed by a judge during an arraignment hearing Saturday.

Minniear has been released from the Louisville Metro Department of Metro Corrections on his own recognizance.

A University of Louisville police officer said Minniear drove into the interior of campus near Ekstrom Library around 5:16 p.m., where he was unauthorized to drive. The officer reported seeing a open alcohol container in the center console and an empty container in the front passenger seat, according to the arrest citation.

A day before he resigned from his position with JCPS on May 7, Louisville Metro Police officers alleged Minniear passed out from drinking alcohol in the drive-thru of a McDonald's in the Auburndale neighborhood while he was off-duty, The Courier Journal previously reported. In that incident, Minniear was also charged with tampering with physical evidence, possession of a controlled substance and having prescription medications not in their original containers. When searching the vehicle, officers found a large bottle of dark liquor, as well as prescription medication inside a McDonald's box.

Minniear has a preliminary hearing for the charges from the earlier incident June 6 at 9 a.m. and a pretrial conference for the charges from the later incident at the same date and time, according to court documents.

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Reporter Krista Johnsoncontributed reporting.

Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@gannett.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Former JCPS officer arrested for 2nd time in 1 month