Former MSU police captain charged in connection to drunk driving incident

EAST LANSING, Mich. — A former Michigan State University Police Department captain is facing charges in connection with a drunk driving incident.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the charges against Valerie O’Brien on Wednesday.

O’Brien is charged with:

• One count of operating a motor vehicle with a high blood alcohol content, a 180-day misdemeanor; and
• One count of carrying a concealed pistol under the influence with a BAC of 0.10 or more, a 93-day misdemeanor.

Back in February, O’Brien was arrested after failing a field sobriety test and refusing a preliminary breath test.

She had pulled onto the shoulder of I-96 and a Michigan State Police trooper had asked if she needed help.

MSP reported a blood test later showed she had a BAC of 0.251, above the high BAC limit of 0.17 set by state law.

O’Brien’s police-issued pistol was in the back seat of her car at the time of her arrest.

Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Seimon petitioned for a Special Prosecuting Attorney after the arrest and the Michigan Department of Attorney General retained prosecution of the case.

An arraignment is set for June 7 at 8:30 a.m. in Ingham County 55^th District Court.