Peñitas police officer charged with DWI — again

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An off-duty Peñitas police officer passed out behind the wheel of his car Sunday after drinking beer, according to McAllen Municipal Court records.

Officers arrested Joseph James Granchelli, 35, of New Braunfels at 2:49 p.m. Sunday, when they found him passed out behind the wheel of a black Cadillac CTS that had abruptly stopped in the drive-thru lane of a Subway restaurant.

Granchelli refused to perform a standard field sobriety test or take a breath test.

“Joseph later stated he wanted to give a breath specimen,” according to court records, “but he did not want to, ‘f--- himself over’ in case his breath results were over the limit.”

Joseph Granchelli. (Photo courtesy of the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office.)

After he refused to take a breath test, the McAllen Police Department obtained a warrant for Granchelli’s blood.

Exactly how much beer Granchelli consumed on Sunday remains unclear.

One police officer said Granchelli admitted to drinking four or five beers, according to court records. Another officer said Granchelli admitted to drinking two or three beers.

Granchelli had two pistols, his badge and other Peñitas Police Department equipment in the Cadillac when he was arrested, according to court records.

Officers charged Granchelli with unlawfully carrying a weapon, a Class A misdemeanor, and driving while intoxicated, a Class B misdemeanor.

Officer Joseph Granchelli poses for a photo with then-Mayor Rodrigo "Rigo" Lopez and other members of the Peñitas City Council in February 2021. (Dave Hendricks / CBS 4 News)

It wasn’t the first time Granchelli had been arrested.

In 2017, when he was a police cadet, the Pharr Police Department stopped Granchelli after his truck nearly struck a traffic barrier.

Granchelli had slurred speech and smelled like alcohol, according to documents filed with the Pharr Municipal Court. Officers found a handgun and an open bottle of bourbon in the center console.

Three days later, Granchelli resigned from the police academy.

“Due to personal reasons, I regretfully have to resign from my position as Police Cadet,” Granchelli wrote, according to a copy of his resignation letter released by the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council.

Granchelli, though, had the charges dismissed — and expunged.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council offered Granchelli a second chance. After graduating in January 2020, he accepted a job in Peñitas.

Police Chief Roel Bermea said he didn’t know what, if any, action Peñitas would take against Granchelli.

Asked if Granchelli had a drinking problem, Bermea said he didn’t know.

“I’ve never known him to have a problem,” Bermea said, adding that since he doesn’t see Granchelli every day, he couldn’t offer an opinion.

Court records don’t list an attorney for Granchelli, who couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.

If convicted on the Class A misdemeanor charge, Granchelli could lose his law enforcement license.