Beach DUI officer also charged with hit-and-run

VIRGINIA BEACH

Officer Bryan K. Womble has been charged with a misdemeanor hit-and-run in addition to the drunken driving charges filed against him June 20, police said Friday.

At about 2 a.m. that Saturday, Womble drove a Mitsubishi into a Neon at the intersection of 20th Street and Pacific Avenue, police said. An officer stopped him two blocks away, and he registered a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.15, nearly twice the state's legal limit for driving, records show.

Womble was arrested and charged with drunken driving, then released on bond. He was off duty at the time.

He was not immediately charged with a hit-and-run because the Chesapeake Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, which is handling the case to avoid a conflict of interest, had to determine how much damage was caused by the accident, said Officer Adam Bernstein, a police spokesman.

Because the damage was less than $1,000, prosecutors charged Womble with a misdemeanor instead of a felony, he said.

There were no injuries reported at the scene of the accident, Bernstein said.

Womble, 36, has been a decorated member of the Police Department's Traffic Enforcement Team, formerly the Selective Enforcement Team, which specializes in stopping drunken drivers. He's been a member of the force since 2000.

Womble is on administrative duty until his trial, which is scheduled for July 27. Drunken driving is a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

Kathy Adams, (757) 222-5155, kathy.adams@pilotonline.com