Man Busted for Vegas DUI Was Celebrating Police Academy Graduation

Posted on: March 26, 2024, 08:34h. 

Last updated on: March 27, 2024, 11:33h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.

While Chasen Bradford was understandably happy to have graduated the police academy in Henderson, Nevada, on March 21, celebrating by getting drunk and driving a day later cannot have been one of his better ideas.

Chasen Bradford, shown in his mug shot, followed his brief career in major-league baseball with an even briefer career as a Las Vegas cop. (Image: Henderson Police Department)

At 10:20 p.m. last Friday, a woman in Henderson dialed 911 to report a grey Ford pickup “swerving all over the road,” “hitting medians,” and “driving up on a curb,” according to the arrest report.

The officer who pulled Bradford over said he smelled alcohol wafting from the truck, the report stated. He said he also observed “six out of a possible six clues of impairment” during a series of sobriety tests he administered to Bradford, including an inability to stand on one leg.

When breathalyzed, Bradford blew a 0.104, more than 26% higher than Nevada’s legal blood alcohol limit of 0.08. Though Bradford initially told police that he drank only two beers, he later admitted to having “five or six” throughout the day.

Chasen Bradford pitches for the New York Mets in 2017. (Image: Getty)

He was taken into custody and transported to the Henderson Detention Center, where he blew a .094 and .098.

Bradford, 34, had been working since September 2023 as a recruit for the Henderson Police Department. His graduation from the academy on Saturday, alongside 14 others, bumped him up to the title of probationary officer.

Bradford was booked on a misdemeanor DUI charge and released Saturday after posting a $2,000 cash bond.

Then he was fired.

“Driving Under the Influence poses serious risks to our community and the Henderson Police Department will have zero tolerance for this behavior,” Henderson Police Chief Hollie Chadwick explained in a letter posted to the department’s Facebook page.

Major League Bummer

Bradford intended police work to be his follow-up career to professional baseball. From 2017 to 2019, he appeared in 86 games as a pitcher with the New York Mets for a year, and then the Seattle Mariners for two more.

He had seven wins, zero losses, and an earned run average of 3.89.

That makes this Bradford’s first career loss.

Per the conditions of his bond, Bradford cannot consume alcohol, controlled substances, or marijuana. He cannot be arrested again, nor can he receive any criminal citations.

Bradford’s arraignment is set for April 22 at Henderson Municipal Court.