A Dearborn police officer was sentenced to five days in jail and fined $350 on Tuesday, Aug. 12, for his responsibility in an accident, while he was driving under the influence, and fleeing the scene. 

Eric Anthony Krawczyk, who served within the Dearborn Police Department for 18 years, was arrested on April 20, after allegedly hitting two vehicles and a tree, while driving under the influence when he was off-duty in west Dearborn.

Eric Anthony Krawczyk, a former Dearborn police officer, was sentenced in the 19th District Court on Tuesday. Photo Credit: Daniel Lai.

At the time of his arrest, a breath test showed Krawczyk’s blood-alcohol level at 0.265 percent. The legal alcohol limit in the State of Michigan is 0.08.

The officer was terminated from the police department following the incident.

In addition to his brief jail sentence, Judge Sam Salamey sentenced Krawczyk to one year of probation.  Along with his fine, he will also have to pay $825 in court, state and victim compensation fees. Krawczyk must also participate in a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim impact panel.

“The fact that you left the scene (of the accident) strikes the court as a great deviation of what police officers are supposed to do in these types of cases. If you were involved in an accident, the least expected action would be to stop and make sure that no one is going to be left to their grief, if a subsequent arrest was not made,” Salamey told Krawczyk. “Drinking and driving, and then getting involved in an accident, and then another accident, really sheds some unfavorable factors against you.”