A 20-year veteran officer with the Winfield Police Dept. was arrested late last month for DUI and other charges.
Online booking information shows that 49-year-old Gregory D. Venable was booked into the Cowley County Jail at 6:19 a.m. on June 29. He bonded out just over an hour later.
The arrest was first reported by the Courier Traveler on Tuesday. They report that Venable was placed on administrative leave by the city of Winfield.
He was promoted to lieutenant with the department in mid 2020.
A Cowley County Sheriff’s Office investigation began when authorities were called to the 1500 block of N. College in the area of the Winfield Correctional Facility. A Cowley County Sheriff’s activity log shows that around 4:20 a.m. June 29 deputies responded to a report of an unresponsive male in a truck at that location.
Though incident logs from the sheriff’s office often include the name of those arrested, Venable’s name was not part of the log.
“We do not always mention a name on the log that I send out each day, just depends on how it comes to me,” Sheriff Dave Falletti said in an email response to questions from Cowley Post.
Venable was booked on charges of DUI, transporting an open container and possession of a firearm while intoxicated.
Though Winfield Police responded to the call, the sheriff’s dept. handled the investigation because it involved a Winfield officer.
Winfield Police Chief Robbie DeLong said the initial call came into the Cowley County Communications Center at 4:23 a.m. (Continue story below ads.)
“As soon as the officers determined who was involved, they notified the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office to investigate,” DeLong said in an email response to questions. “Any other reports thereafter internally were for the internal (police) investigation which is still ongoing.”
Venable was not on duty at the time of the incident.
In addition to requesting a deputy to the scene, police officers also requested their immediate supervisor.
He began with the Winfield Police Dept. in 2004 and has been promoted multiple times. As lieutenant he has an annual salary of $70,000, according to a response to an open records request made by Cowley Post to the city of Winfield.
