A police officer once celebrated as a hero has been charged with driving while two times over the legal alcohol limit.
Marsden Wayne McCarthy appeared in the Manukau District Count on November 21 charged with driving with a breath alcohol level of 1,053mcg on October 23.
The 35-year-old father from the East Auckland suburb of Half Moon Bay, has been stood down from the police.
The district commander of Counties Manukau police, Superintendent John Tims, said the officer would also face an employment investigation.
McCarthy was on duty last year as a Howick police officer when he saved the life of a truck driver who had a heart attack.
