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Denver Deputy Fire Chief Was Arrested As Result Of 'Domestic Disturbance'

DENVER (CBS4) - An Arvada Police Department report released Wednesday shows the DUI stop of former Denver Fire Department Deputy Chief Jeremy Vigil, 49, was the result of a domestic disturbance at his girlfriend's home early Saturday morning.

Vigil stepped down from his position as Deputy Chief on Monday, following the incident, and is currently with the department as an assistant chief.

A neighbor notified police of the early morning disturbance and said Vigil was leaving the woman's home.

A responding Arvada officer located Vigil, who was driving a Denver Fire Department SUV, and pulled him over.

The officer said Vigil acknowledged he "was driving a take-home Denver Fire Department (DFD) vehicle and Jeremy held the rank of Deputy Chief for DFD."

Vigil was appointed the department's deputy chief in 2020.

Police say there was a strong odor of alcohol coming from the Ford Explorer and and Vigil's eyes were bloodshot and his speech was slurred.

According to the report, Vigil told an officer he had been in a verbal fight with his girlfriend and said he had "a couple beers" earlier in the evening.

Arvada police say Vigil declined to participate in roadside sobriety tests and declined to complete a Preliminary Breath Test saying, "I don't think it's necessary."

Later, police say Vigil declined to take either a blood or breath test and he was cited for Driving Under the Influence.

CBS4 reporters Brian Maass and Kati Weis serve on the CBS4 Investigates team, uncovering fraud, waste, and corruption. Send them a news tip or follow them on Twitter @Briancbs4 and @KatiWeis.

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