A former St. Joseph County cop charged with drunk driving while in his police cruiser pleaded guilty on Wednesday, but will see no jail time.
Coty Hoffman wasarrested in late Novemberafter he ran his St. Joseph County patrol vehicle into a mailbox on Hickory Road on the northeast side of South Bend.
According to court documents, residents at a nearby home heard a loud noise and came out to find Hoffman “not doing Ok.” The 31-year-old patrol officer tested at over twice the legal limit for blood alcohol content, per documents.
Hoffman was charged with two misdemeanor counts of drunk driving and he resigned from the force in January after the department disclosed he had previously been suspended for three days in July of 2022 for being intoxicated while off-duty.
He was also suspended for one day in December of 2020 for not writing a report when required, county police said.
As part of his plea, Hoffman admitted to a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated over .15 BAC and was given a nine-month sentence which will all be served on probation. Another misdemeanor count was dismissed as a condition of the plea deal.
