Loudoun County fire captain charged in alleged drunk-driving crash

DAMASCUS, Md. - A Loudoun County fire captain is facing charges in connection with an alleged drunk-driving crash in a county-owned vehicle.

Investigators say Capt. Brandon Billingsley was off duty when he was involved in the crash around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11 on Hawkins Creamery Road in Damascus, Maryland.

Billingsley has been placed on administrative leave.

He faces charges including:

Negligent driving a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner
Failure to immediately stop a vehicle at the scene of an accident involving bodily injury

A Loudoun County Fire and Rescue spokesperson says Billingsley was driving a Loudoun County fire vehicle, but he was off duty.

Court records show that Billingsley lives in Montgomery County, Maryland, and pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle while under the influence in 2009.

The spokesperson acknowledged that the previous charge is a matter of public record. However, it remains a personnel matter that they will not discuss.

FOX 5 reached out to Billingsley's attorney, Alex Foster, who said:

"They charged him with a DUI but I don't know what prompted that. He did not take a breathalyzer and did not perform any field sobriety tests due to being injured in the crash and transported for medical assistance (minor). I don't know why they charged a DUI or if they have any evidence of impairment, or if they just assumed that."