Ex-Scottsdale police officer gets probation for causing crash while drunk

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — A now-former Scottsdale police officer who was drunk and caused a crash that sent a Florida couple to the hospital has avoided jail time for the crimes. Michael Lanouar was sentenced to two years of supervised probation earlier this month. He pleaded guilty to DUI and endangerment charges in August.

The crash happened last November while Lanouar was off-duty. He was in an unmarked unit when he crashed into another car near Pima and Indian School roads around 10 p.m. on Nov. 4. Danny and Jessica Stites, a Florida couple, were in the other car, stopped at the red light. Both were hospitalized, with Danny suffering a broken ankle. Scottsdale police said Lanouar’s BAC was 0.198% at the time of the crash, more than double the legal limit. He was then arrested.

Lanouar resigned in January as a police officer and took an involuntary demotion to work as a detention officer in the city jail. But a few months later, he was indicted, and then he resigned.

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