FedEx pilot grounded after public intoxication arrest

FedEx Pilot Colleen Dunn will have her feet on the ground for a while.

Steve Jefferson/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - FedEx Pilot Colleen Dunn will have her feet on the ground for a while.

Witnesses alerted state police officers downtown last Thursday, saying it appeared she had too much to drink.

"She was walking in the 300 block of West Washington," said Sgt. Dave Bursten. "In the course of talking with her, he determined that she was at the point of intoxication and that she was a danger to herself and others."

Witnesses say Dunn had a couple of dangerous close calls with drivers after she walked into Washington Street traffic.

What's even more dangerous, police learned during her arrest that she's employed as a FedEx pilot and reportedly wanted to go to work.

Instead, state police arrested Dunn for public intoxication.

"Any odor of alcohol on the person's breath and based on the person demeanor is sufficient for public intoxication," said Sgt. Dave Bursten.

FedEx released a statement saying, "Ms. Dunn has been removed from active flying duty pending the outcome of the Company's internal investigation into this matter."

Under the Federal Aviation Administration rules, pilots cannot consume alcohol within eight hours of a scheduled flight. The same eight-hour rule applies for any type of flight training.

FedEx enforces the same guidelines for every pilot.

"To the point it impairs their ability to function, they need to be taken to a safe place, be it jail or a medical facility,"said Sgt. Dave Bursten.

Officers say when you see people who have had too much to drink in public like in Dunn's case, it's best for police to get involved.