A Roanoke County detective who has been recognized for protecting the innocent from molesters and murderers was taken to jail Saturday on charges of driving while intoxicated.

Patricia L. Farris, a five-year veteran of the Roanoke County Police Department, was arrested about 2 a.m. Saturday after she was stopped by one of her colleagues at a Williamson Road sobriety checkpoint, Assistant Chief Donna Furrow said.

The 35-year-old detective also was charged with refusing to take a breath test and disregarding an officer's signal, according to online court records.

As early as March 2007, newspaper archives show, Farris' policing helped put predators in jail. That month, DNA samples she took from a suspected sex offender helped convict the man of molesting one of his 4-year-old students at a day care center.

In March 2008, an investigation she led helped convict a man of slaying the mother of his two daughters. Roanoke County Commonwealth's Attorney Rick Buchanan then praised a team Farris led for their work on the case.

Farris had been honored in 2007 as the July Officer of the Month by the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Furrow declined to talk about Farris' work, saying she would not discuss personnel matters.

"We will investigate it internally," Furrow said, "and make a decision after the investigation is complete."

-- Jorge Valencia