



MILWAUKEE -- 42-year-old Michael Anderson, a Milwaukee police officer, pleaded guilty on Wednesday, December 14th to a misdemeanor charge of operating a firearm while intoxicated. A judge then stayed Anderson's sentence -- and placed Anderson on probation for 12 months.



"I just want to express my regret and remorse in this. The embarrassment I caused myself, my family and the department," Anderson said in court Wednesday.



Milwaukee police on September 22nd responded to a call of shots fired near S. Griffin Avenue and E. Euclid Avenue on the city's south side. When they arrived on the scene, they learned the person who fired the shots was one of their own.



According to a criminal complaint, Anderson "acknowledged that he fired his service weapon, a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun, twice into his backyard on September 22nd. The defendant appeared to be under the influence of an intoxicant." After a blood test was taken, it was determined Anderson had a "blood alcohol count of 0.215."



Anderson was suspended from the Milwaukee Police Department because of the incident. As part of his probation, he is not allowed to use weapons outside of work requirements.