A St. Paul police officer was charged with drunken driving after causing a crash last week that damaged five other vehicles.
Cory J. Kochendorfer, 38, of Woodbury, was charged in Ramsey County District Court with two counts of gross misdemeanor third-degree driving while intoxicated for the Nov. 13 incident.
Kochendorfer joined St. Paul police in 2005, and is assigned to the narcotics unit. He earns $85,300 a year.
"We hold our officers to the highest personal and professional standards — both on duty and off — and I am disappointed one of our officers has put himself in a position to be charged with a crime," Chief Todd Axtell said in a written statement. "As we have always done in these situations, we will follow the case closely and take appropriate action."
Kochendorfer remains on duty, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a police spokesman.
According to the criminal complaint: a Minnesota state trooper was called to the scene at Fairview and Hague avenues in St. Paul shortly before 7 p.m.
A black pickup truck being driven by Kochendorfer had struck a car. Both vehicles sustained "severe damage."
Four parked cars were also damaged; the complaint did not detail how.
