‘Hammered drunk’ Dearborn fire chief finally charged with drunken driving
Joseph Murray was pulled over more than two months ago after speeding and weaving in traffic
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Dearborn Fire Chief Joseph Murray was charged with drunken driving on Wednesday, two days after he returned to work following a suspension, and one day after Metro Times reported he still had yet to be charged.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged the 44-year-old with two counts of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
Murray was arrested around 2:45 a.m. on Aug. 29 after Dearborn Heights police said they spotted him speeding and weaving in traffic. Murray declined a breathalyzer test and insisted he had “four or five beers,” according to body cam footage.
“Let’s be honest, you’re absolutely ripped,” one of the officers responded. “You’re hammered drunk. You can barely speak. You can barely stand up.”
Wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Eric Fucking Church,” in reference to the country music star, Murray responded intelligibly.
The prosecutor’s office said it took more than two months to charge Murray because Dearborn Heights police sent a warrant request “to the wrong unit,” according to spokeswoman Maria Miller.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud placed Murray on administrative leave on Aug. 31.
Without a public announcement, Hammoud allowed Murray to return to work on Monday.
“After careful consideration, my administration has decided to reinstate Joseph Murray as chief of the Dearborn Fire Department,” Hammoud said in a written statement when asked about the situation Tuesday. “The choice to retain Chief Murray derives from balancing a two-decades-long career in public service and the humility to not evaluate an individual in their darkest moments.”
Murray, who is president of the Southeastern Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs, joined the Dearborn Fire Department in 2004 and was promoted to fire chief in 2012. Originally from Chicago, Murray received three degrees from Madonna University in Livonia, according to his city biography. He later received a master’s degree in business administration in 2005, a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2007, and a doctorate in public policy and administration from Walden University in 2011.
Murray oversees more than 125 firefighters who work out of five fire stations.
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