The president of the Peel Regional Police Association, which acts as the union for Peel’s police officers, has been charged with stunt driving and drinking and driving.

Const. Adrian Woolley, 44, of Burlington, was charged Saturday after he was pulled over by the OPP on the QEW in Burlington, said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt.

Schmidt did not reveal how fast Woolley is accused of driving. As for the drinking and driving charge, he is accused of having more than 80 mg of alcohol in 100 mL of blood, which is more than the legal limit.

A stunt-driving charge carries an automatic driver’s licence suspension and the driver’s vehicle is impounded for seven days. It is laid when a driver is clocked at more than 50 km/h over the speed limit.

Woolley has been a Peel police officer for almost 20 years.

As president of the union, he does not perform any police-related duties. He is elected to the position, and is on a “leave of absence” from the police service while he serves his term as president, according to a statement issued by Peel Regional Police.

He is paid by the union, not Peel police, according to the statement.

“In these circumstances, Mr. Woolley was not suspended,” the statement reads.

The union has not yet responded to a request for comment.

The Peel Regional Police Professional Standards Bureau will conduct an investigation of its own, but Peel police would not comment on the charges laid by the OPP.

Schmidt said the OPP impounded 21 vehicles in the GTA for stunt driving this past weekend.

In 2017, Woolley was presented with a Police Merit Award at the Mississauga Civic Awards for his work helping charities and liaising with the community.

A member of York Regional Police was also charged over the weekend for allegedly drunk driving while off-duty.

“This is very troubling considering the work that York Regional Police is doing to combat impaired driving,” said York police Chief Eric Jolliffe in a news release Monday.

York police Const. Tina Teeter, 42, of the City of Barrie, was charged by the OPP on Sunday.

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Teeter has been placed on administrative duties, police said in the news release. She has been with York police since 2003 and is currently a uniform patrol officer.

“We are committed to the fight against impaired driving and we hold our members to the same, if not higher, standard than members of our community. We continue to remind our members of their responsibility to live the values of our organization, both on and off duty,” Jolliffe said.

With files from Claire Floody

Pam Douglas is the crime reporter with the Brampton Guardian and Mississauga News

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