Sheriff’s Office Deputy Joseph Rafferty in Doylestown during a 2014 warrant sweep.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewtownPANow.com
A former Bucks County Sheriff’s Office deputy waived his right to a preliminary hearing in his DUI case Monday before a district judge.
Joseph F. Rafferty III, 45, of Warwick, waived his case of two first-degree misdemeanor counts of DUI and a summary offense of driving with an open container of alcohol to Doylestown for trial before District Judge Mick Petrucci during a brief court appearance Monday afternoon.
The deputy, who had his family with him, didn’t have much to say before the district judge but his attorney said after court the former lawman is “trying to handle [the case] in a dignified fashion.”
Authorities allege that Rafferty was driving intoxicated while in a county-owned 2007 Chevrolet Impala while off-duty on August 13. He was discovered pulled over standing outside the vehicle by Newtown Township police in the area of Stoopville Road and Hemlock Drive.
“A 911 call received minutes earlier had reported that the 2007 Chevrolet Impala driven by Rafferty had been seen ‘swerving all over the roadway’ on Stoopville Road,” a statement from the district attorney’s office said.
Police noted in court papers that the off-duty deputy walked over toward a police officer in an uneven manner. The officer said Rafferty’s words were slurred and delayed and that his eyes were glassy and glazed over
“Investigation revealed that Mr. Rafferty had been driving erratically with his three minor children in the vehicle just prior to his contact with Newtown Township police,” the affidavit of probable cause stated.
A bottle of pineapple vodka was found on the front floorboard of the county car, police said.
Rafferty allegedly told officers that he was taking prescription medications for a back problem but his condition at the time was due to “the drinking.”
Officers at first drove Rafferty from the scene and the Impala was towed to a local shop, authorities said. No charges were filed at the time.
In late October, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and Newtown Township police filed the DUI charge against Rafferty after internal investigations and news of the incident leaked to the press.
The Doylestown Intelligencer reported Sgt. Stephen J. Meyers, Cpl. Shawn Pirog and officers Patrick Hardy and Shane VanDerMark were reprimanded for “procedural and policy deficiencies” in relation to their handling of the incident. None of the officer’s were relieved of their jobs, an official told NewtownPANow.com.
Rafferty resigned from the sheriff’s office once news of the investigation began to leak out. His separation from the county became official in early October, a county spokesman said.
Dashcam video of police officers interactions with Rafferty is believed to exist but has not been released publicly. Attorney Blake Jackman, who represented Rafferty Monday on behalf of colleague Lou Busico, said the video would be requested during the discovery process.
Rafferty is free on $500 unsecured bail.
