A Detroit police officer is facing a drunken-driving charge after Redford Township officers found him lying across the back seat of a running police pickup truck that was parked on the grass outside a White Castle with its emergency lights flashing.
Bodycam footage published by the YouTube channel Metro Detroit News shows the July 31, 2026 encounter involving 28-year-old Jalon Allen Nelson, who eventually identified himself as a Detroit Police Department officer working in media relations.
According to the channel, Nelson was off duty at the time, but the unmarked take-home police vehicle and its activated emergency lights had drawn several calls from concerned people before officers arrived.
Police Find Him In The Back Seat
Redford Township officers approached the truck shortly after 1 a.m. near Schoolcraft and Telegraph roads and quickly discovered Nelson stretched across the back seat.
“Sir, you okay?” one officer repeatedly asked while trying to wake him.
Once Nelson responded, officers began asking why a police vehicle was parked partly on the grass with its emergency lights turned on.
Nelson confirmed that he worked for Detroit police, but he was reluctant to provide basic information and appeared irritated by some of the questioning.
Officers told him they had received several calls about the unusual scene and needed to make sure he really was a police officer and that nothing was wrong.
“Do you see how this is weird?” one officer asked.
That was a fair question. A running police truck with emergency lights flashing outside a fast-food restaurant would naturally attract attention, especially with someone apparently asleep in the back seat.
Nelson Resists Questions From Officers
Once outside the truck, Nelson sat near the rear of a patrol vehicle while officers tried to determine what had happened.
He answered some questions but refused others, including why he had been sleeping in the truck and where he had been coming from.
At several points, he objected to the tone used by one female officer and said he would be more willing to speak with the other officers instead.
Nelson eventually said he worked in Detroit police media relations, a unit responsible for communicating incident information to journalists and providing updates on developing stories.
The officers explained that they were trying to determine whether he was safe to drive home.
Nelson acknowledged that the situation looked suspicious but continued to resist parts of the investigation.
He also said there was no firearm inside the vehicle.
Officers Begin A Sobriety Investigation
As the conversation continued, one officer said Nelson had failed to answer several questions and warned that the encounter could either remain cooperative or turn into a full investigation.
The officers then asked directly how much he had been drinking.
Nelson did not answer.
Instead, he told them they could conduct whatever testing they believed was necessary.
When an officer asked him to stand in position for an eye test, Nelson refused.
He also declined both a field sobriety test and a preliminary breath test.
The exchange became unusual because Nelson, as a police officer himself, clearly understood what refusing the tests could mean.
“If you believe in your expertise, if you believe in your profession that I should do these tests, then that means that you believe that I’m intoxicated,” he told the officers.
He then added that if they believed he should not be driving, they should arrest him.
“So therefore, lock me up,” Nelson said.
Breath Tests At The Jail Came Back Over .23
Nelson was eventually taken into custody and transported to the Redford Township jail.
According to Metro Detroit News, later breath testing produced results of .237 and .234.
Court records cited by the channel show that Nelson was charged with operating with a blood alcohol content of .17 or more.
Those reported results are especially notable because they are far above the level normally associated with legal driving limits, although the charge remains an allegation unless and until resolved in court.
The bodycam footage itself ends before the jail testing, so that portion of the case comes from the records and information summarized by Metro Detroit News.
Take-Home Police Vehicle Raises Extra Questions
Nelson’s assignment made the circumstances more complicated.
Metro Detroit News said he worked in the Detroit Police Department’s Public Information Office and had been issued a take-home police vehicle so he could respond to breaking incidents even while off duty.
That meant the truck was not simply a personal vehicle.
It was department equipment equipped with emergency lights, and it was sitting running outside a White Castle while Nelson was found in the back seat.
That distinction matters because police officers are entrusted with equipment and authority that ordinary drivers do not have, even when they are technically off duty.
The sight of emergency lights activated on a police vehicle can make members of the public believe an official response is underway, which is why the calls to police were unsurprising.
Detroit Police Put Nelson On Administrative Leave
The Detroit Police Department said Nelson was off duty when the incident happened and later placed him on administrative leave while the department reviewed the matter.
In a statement referenced by the channel, DPD said it remained committed to transparency and accountability.
“We hold our officers to the highest standards — both on and off duty,” the department said.
That statement is significant because the case creates an obvious credibility problem for any department.
Police routinely investigate impaired drivers, ask suspects to perform sobriety tests and enforce laws that depend heavily on public trust in officers’ judgment.
When one of their own is accused of the same conduct, the department’s response is likely to receive much more scrutiny.
Nelson’s court case was still pending based on the information presented in the video.
What began as several calls about an oddly parked police truck eventually turned into an OWI arrest involving an off-duty officer who knew exactly how a sobriety investigation worked and still told Redford officers, in effect, that if they believed he was impaired, they should take him to jail.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
