Wichita officer arrested by rural police department, official says

A Wichita police officer was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and cited for that as well as speeding in Clearwater, officials said.

Alex Gardinier, who had been with the department six years, was moved from the field services division to an administrative assignment, Wichita police spokesperson Trevor Macy said in a news release. It’s common for police to be moved into a different role while an internal investigation is done.

Gardinier was stopped by a Clearwater officer after he was reportedly speeding through town in an area posted 30 mph. Clearwater police chief Kirk Ives said the traffic stop happened around 4:35 a.m. Friday.

The driver was compliant in taking a breathalyzer, Ives said. The blood-alcohol content was not available. Ives said the driver was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and was cited for that as well as speeding before being released.

Wichita police were notified later that day. The Wichita Police Department announced the arrest Tuesday.

In November 2018, a Wichita police officer named Alex Gardinier was awarded a certificate of commendation for helping on July case in which another officer exchanged gunfire with a stranger who broke into his home while he and his family were asleep. Gardinier was working a vehicle burglary call and connected it to the shooting.

This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 12:33 PM.