Doug Stanglin

USA TODAY

Retired Navy SEAL Rob O'Neill, credited with shooting al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a 2011 raid, was arrested Friday and charged with driving under the influence in his hometown of Butte, Mont., according to the Butte-Silver Bow County sheriff's department.

O'Neill was found sleeping in his car, with the vehicle running and the back-up lights on, at a convenience store, according to Undersheriff George Skuletich.

Officers said he appeared confused and somewhat lethargic when they opened the car door and woke him up, the Montana Standard reports. .

The 39-year-old retired Navy Seal refused a breathalyzer test and was jailed on a charge of DUI, a misdemeanor. He was released after posting a $685 bond.

According to the police report, O'Neill said he had one drink, then denied it, the newspaper reports. He also said he may have taken Ambien, a prescription drug often used to treat insomnia.

O’Neill began publicly discussing his role in the 2011 bin Laden raid two years ago, according to the Associated Press.

He told The Washington Post in an interview in 2014 that he fired the two shots that killed the mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks. One current and one former SEAL confirmed O'Neill's story of the raid to the AP.

Sheriff Ed Lester issued a statement on the arrest, saying he has "great respect for Rob O'Neill and what he has done for our country."

"That being said, this incident was handled the same way as any other DUI investigation," Lester said. "Mr. O'Neill has the same presumption of innocence as any other citizen. We will let the county attorney and the court proceed from this point."

O'Neill's 40th birthday party, open to the public, was planned for Saturday, according to The Standard.