An off-duty Portland police sergeant is on administrative leave after he was arrested in July for impaired driving in Minnesota.

Sgt. Patrick Mawdsley, 49, was placed on leave after he reported an arrest that occurred on July 3 in Meeker County, Minnesota. According to the Portland Police Bureau, Mawdsley was off-duty when he crashed a rental car he was driving while under the influence. At the time, he was armed with his bureau-issued Glock 43X pistol.

Mawdsley’s blood alcohol content was more than .04 but less than .10. He was criminally cited for careless driving and carrying while under the influence of alcohol.

He reported the incident to a supervisor the following day.

Mawdsley, a sergeant with PPB’s Specialized Resource Division who’s been with the bureau for 18 years, remains on administrative leave while the bureau conducts an internal investigation.

Records show the Oregon Department of Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) opened a professional standards case for review on or around July 25, after Mawdsley’s arrest was reported. According to DPSST, the state’s certification agency for law enforcement officers, the state opens professional standards cases after “receipt of information indicating that an officer may have engaged in behavior that violates an established certification standard.”

“An open case that is under review is not proof that a public safety professional engaged in misconduct,” the agency’s site states.

This isn’t the first time Mawdsley has had legal trouble related to his conduct.

In 2017, Mawdsley was named in a lawsuit against the city of Portland for battery. The complaint alleged Mawdsley and another officer assaulted a woman and ripped her dress in 2015 while both were off-duty attending a wedding with several other police officers present. 

The plaintiff in that lawsuit, Jessica Stradley, alleges Mawdsley and another officer, Matthew Ginnow, tackled her to the ground after Mawdsley and his finacé accused Stradley of stealing her wallet. Stradley claimed Mawdsley “grabbed her by the throat and choked her” and threatened to kill her. Mawdsley later admitted to investigating officers that he grabbed the woman's throat and tore her dress, but said the dress was torn while he was defending against Stradley pushing back and swinging at him.

Stradley said most of the officers in attendance were drinking heavily during the wedding before the incident.

The case was eventually dismissed in 2019. 

In a statement released Thursday, Portland Police Chief Bob Day acknowledged that law enforcement officers are “held to a higher standard.”

"I look forward to learning the results of the complete and thorough investigation when it is complete."