PETERSBURG, Va. (WTVR) - A Petersburg police officer has been charged with driving under the influence in Henrico County.
Henrico Police said John I. Dixon IV was arrested at 1:53 a.m. Saturday morning at the intersection of West Broad Street and John Rolfe Parkway. Dixon was also charged with failing to stop at a red light and driving with expired license plates.
Dixon is the son of Petersburg Police Chief John I. Dixon, III. The Petersburg Police Department declined to comment on the charges.
“I am aware of the situation regarding police officer Dixon,” William E. Johnson, III, Petersburg City Manager, said in a statement. “This is a personnel matter.”
Charles Pond, who was arrested by Officer Dixon in December, said Dixon’s arrest is ironic. Pond appeared in Petersburg court on Monday to face charges of having an open container in public. Dixon did not appear in court to testify.
“It’s kind of like calling a drunk a drunk, when you’re a drunk,” Pond argued. “He got arrested in Henrico County and he arrested me basically for the same stuff, but I wasn’t driving…that’s poetic justice for you.”
According to court records, Dixon was charged in Chesterfield County in Oct. 2010, for safety belt violations involving minors. According to police sources, Dixon was driving a youth group associated with the police department at the time of the offense.
Some Petersburg residents told CBS 6 that the chief needs to address the latest charges against his son.
Other residents, however, feel the incident is being blown out of proportion. Supporter C.E. Pender said Dixon’s arrest is being highlighted for political reasons. In December, Chief Dixon was appointed to President Obama’s firearms commission led by Vice President Joe Biden.
“It’s a small issue,” Pender argued. “People throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia are doing far worse than this and they’re not taking their jobs.”
Dixon will appear back in Henrico Court on February 11.
