Moorhead Off-Duty Police Officer Arrested

 

On Thursday, August 3, 2018, at about 7:00 p.m. a citizen observed what he thought was an intoxicated male getting into a vehicle outside Mick’s Office bar, located at 10 8 Street South in Moorhead.  The driver description and vehicle license plate information was provided to the dispatch operator.  A Moorhead Officer was dispatched and upon running the plate found it to be the personally owned vehicle of Sergeant Thad Stafford, a 20-year veteran of the Moorhead Police Department. The officer checked the area for the vehicle and at about 7:30 p.m. the vehicle was located in the 2000 block of 33 Street South with Thad Stafford driving. During the initial investigation, the officers observed signs of intoxication and called for a Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputy to continue the investigation to avoid any conflict of interest. After their investigation, Stafford was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence.
Stafford is held at the Clay County Jail on charges of driving under the influence. He will be placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
Police Chief Shannon Monroe provides this public statement: "The Moorhead Police Department must maintain the trust of the public we serve by being accountable and transparent. We are entrusted to enforce the law and be examples to others. Police officers are human and make mistakes, but we are not above the law. Our community is safer through actions of citizens that recognize and report suspected intoxicated drivers.  The officers that took part in this investigation acted appropriately and professionally."