KYOTO (TR) — The Maizuru Coast Guard Office has slapped a three-month suspension on a male officer in his 50s after he was caught driving drunk in the parking lot of a pachinko parlor, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Apr. 30).
According to the office, the incident occurred at around 4:00 p.m. on February 1. The officer, assigned to the Kasumi Coast Guard Station in Hyogo Prefecture, was operating a passenger vehicle while under the influence of alcohol at a pachinko parlor in Toyooka City.
His apprehension came after a witness tipped off the authorities, reporting that “someone is drinking alcohol inside a car.” Officers from the Toyooka Police Station rushed to the scene and apprehended the officer for violating the Road Traffic Act.
The officer has admitted to the allegations.
“We take this arrest very seriously,” Ryoji Oi, head of the Maizuru Coast Guard Office, said in a statement announcing the disciplinary action on April 30. “Our entire organization will work together to prevent a recurrence and strive to restore public trust.”
