An Ames police officer is on administrative leave following his arrest for operating while intoxicated.

Robert Dean Selby, an officer with the Ames Police Department, was arrested in the early morning of Aug. 26. He was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, a serious misdemeanor.

The initial call for the incident came at approximately 12:27 a.m. Ames Police and ISU Police were called to the scene.

Cmdr. Jim Robinson of the Ames Police Department said the caller saw a car “facing the wrong direction” near Beach Avenue and the driver appeared to be “passed out” inside the vehicle.

The vehicle was stopped at S. Fourth Street and Beach Avenue “perpendicular to the flow of traffic when ISU officers arrived,” said ISU Police Cmdr. Gene Deisinger.

“The vehicle was facing south covering both eastbound lanes on S. Fourth Street,” Deisinger said.

According to court documents, the car had been seen “driving erratically” before stopping. Because Selby is an officer with the Ames Police Department, ISU Police were the ones to charge the officer with the offense.

Robinson said that to “call an outside agency to investigate” is an appropriate action in such a situation.

“The ISU Police were called in so that there could be no question of wrongdoing,” Robinson said.

Deisinger called the situation an “exceptional circumstance,” considering the occupation of the defendant.

According to court documents, Selby had bloodshot, watery eyes and had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath and slurred speech. He failed field sobriety tests after admitting to drinking alcoholic beverages, and he refused to take the preliminary breath test and DataMaster tests, according to the documents.

“Selby is on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the investigation,” Robinson said.

Selby is expected to be in court on Sept. 10 for a preliminary hearing.

A first offense for an OWI is punishable by a minimum of 48 hours and a maximum of one year in jail. Offenders also may be punished with a $1,000 fine along with jail time.

A judge may waive half of the fine if the offense did not cause any personal injury or property damage, according to state motor vehicle laws.