Dash cam video of West Fargo police officer's arrest released

Dash cam video shows an uncooperative West Fargo police officer after he was stopped for drunk driving.

Valley News Live obtained video of Officer Ryan Denis’s arrest on February 24 of this year.

A North Dakota highway trooper arrived to the scene where Denis’s white pick-up was stuck in a snow bank.

“I got run off the road by some a*****,” Denis told the trooper.

Denis was a sergeant at the time of his arrest.

“The worst part of this is I have to go in to the chief tomorrow and say I’m resigning,” Denis said.

He would plead guilty on March 20 to driving a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor, which is a misdemeanor.

Denis was suspended from his job for 15 days and demoted from sergeant to patrol officer.

Denis told the trooper he only had a few beers prior to his arrest. At first, he declined to take any DUI related tests, included a blood draw.

Denis eventually agreed to do a breathalyzer. Yet, according to court documents, he stonewalled troopers by making excuses.

The trooper stated in the incident report that Denis was “trying to postpone the breath test and that time I determined it to be a refusal.”

Throughout the video, Denis’s statements continue to change in terms of how many alcoholic drinks he consumed, when he drank them, and whether he was going to take the breathalyzer.

“People tell these white lies and try to minimize their drinking in almost all DUI cases that I see,” criminal defense lawyer Scott Brand said.

Brand, who works for the Brudvik Law Office in West Fargo, said lawyers can bring up an officer’s previous criminal record in court when the officer testifies.

“There's a pretty blanket rule that allows anyone who is on the stand to be cross examined about their credibility and if there's a history of someone not telling the truth, that's certainly going to be attacked,” Brand said.

A judge can decide if an officer’s conviction should be taken into account when that officer is on the witness stand.

Denis is still a patrol officer with the West Fargo Police Department.

Valley News Live contacted the West Fargo Police Chief for comment on the video or Denis’s future, and he declined.

In a previous statement, Chief Heith Janke said that drunk driving will never be condoned within their department.