Packers safeties coach charged with OWI
GREEN BAY – Green Bay Packers safeties coach Darren Perry is scheduled to appear Feb. 23 in Brown County Circuit Court for a hearing on a first-offense drunken driving charge.
Perry, 48, also is charged with refusing to take a breathalyzer test and with unsafe lane deviation.
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The charges stem from a traffic stop by a Brown County sheriff's deputy at 1:16 a.m. Dec. 17 on Lineville Road in Suamico.
Perry had a blood-alcohol content of between .08 and .15 percent, according to court documents.
Brown County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Todd Delain said Perry's blood-alcohol content was based on a blood sample that was obtained through a search warrant. Results of the test were returned this week.
In Wisconsin, first-offense drunken driving is a traffic violation, not a crime. Perry paid a $1,112.80 bond and was released. He was not booked into the Brown County Jail.
“The Packers are aware of the matter involving Darren Perry and have been in communication with the NFL," the Packers said in a statement. "As a pending legal matter, we will refrain from making further comment."
Perry previously was convicted of drunken driving in Pennsylvania in 1997 and 2007. He also was arrested in Louisiana on suspicion of drunken driving in 2000. That charge was dropped.
Delain said law enforcement was unaware of the previous offenses when issuing the Dec. 17 drunken-driving citation.
Brown County District Attorney David Lasee said the case has not been referred to his office. He said the drunken-driving charge could be revised after he reviews details of the previous convictions.
Third-offense drunken driving is a criminal offense that carries penalties of up to one year in jail, fines and license revocation of up to three years.
In a statement, the Packers said the team is aware of Perry's legal issue and has been in communication with the NFL about it. The team declined further comment.
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