A veteran Miami-Dade Police officer who was arrested back in March has entered a not guilty plea as he faces two traffic criminal citations.
Officer Victor Montalvo, 43, was arrested on March 5 on charges of driving under the influence and DUI with damage to property or person, Miami-Dade jail records showed.
Officials said he crashed into another officer while he was allegedly drunk and on-duty and pulled his gun during the encounter.
According to Miami-Dade Police, Montalvo was on duty and driving west on Southwest 72nd Street in an unmarked Ford Explorer SUV when he rear-ended an occupied and marked police vehicle that was on the same street.
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The other officer was assisting a traffic marking crew and had all emergency equipment activated, an arrest report said.
After the crash, Montalvo "unsteadily" got out of the SUV as the other officer checked on the work crew.
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A short time later, the other officer watched as Montalvo reached into the front of his waistband and "draw a semi-automatic firearm, and take what appeared to be a low-ready, prone, tactical-type position with what appeared to be a dazed or confused look on his face," the report said.
The other officer drew his gun and pointed it at Montalvo and ordered him to drop the pistol, which he did, the report said.
Montalvo was detained and placed in the back of a police car and spontaneously told the other officer "I drank too much," the report said.
When Montalvo refused to perform field sobriety tests, he was arrested, the report said.
According to police, both officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries due to the crash.
"As Chief of Police, I am disheartened by the recent incident involving one of my officers who was arrested for driving under the influence while on duty," Miami-Dade Police Chief Stephanie V. Daniels said in a statement. "My officers are subject to the highest standards of conduct, both on and off duty, and this individual's actions do not reflect the core values of our department. The officer has been relieved of duty, and we will continue to work with the State's Attorney's Office throughout the judicial process."
Montalvo, a 20-year veteran of the police department and detective with the Video Forensic Unit, was recognized by the Secret Service back in February of 2023 for his "hard work and dedication."
MDPD made a post on Instagram to congratulate him and in the same post mentioned that in 2022, he was "11th out of 1500 investigators in data processed."
“Detective Victor Montalvo has served the Miami Dade community for 24+ years. His service has always been exemplary," Montalvo's attorney, Mark Lefcourt, said in a statement on Sunday. "Despite his lengthy career, detective Montalvo has never faced any discipline or negative feedback from any of his supervisors, his peers or community members."
Montalvo was granted a $2,000 bond.
A tentative trial date has been scheduled for May 28th.
