Former Wake deputy flashed badge during DWI arrest

A former Wake County deputy flashed a badge after police found him unconscious in a car outside a Fuquay-Varina bar on Thursday morning.

Ryan Michael Bentkowski, 24, of Cary, was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer, driving while impaired and carrying a concealed gun.

An officer found Bentkowski passed out behind the wheel of a car outside Abbey Road Tavern & Grill, 711 N. Main St. in Fuquay-Varina at about 3:45 a.m., according to police records. Once he was awakened, he said he wasn't aware of where he was, and the officer observed he had red, glassy eyes and smelled strongly of alcohol.

Tests later showed an alcohol content of 0.15, almost twice the level under which a driver is considered impaired in North Carolina, records show.

An arrest warrant states that, when the officer asked for Bentkowski's license, he showed him a Wake County Sheriff's Office badge first. He later informed the officer that he was a former deputy.

The sheriff's office said Bentkowski was fired on Sept. 30 after he was accused of domestic violence. Authorities took his service weapon, vest and patrol vehicle when he was put on leave two weeks earlier, but when deputies went to take his badge and other items away after his termination, he said he couldn't find them.

In addition to his badge, Fuquay-Varina police found a sheriff’s office winter jacket with patches, a ball cap and a sealed gas mask cartridge in Bentkowski's car, authorities said.

The sheriff's office said Bentkowski might face additional charges.