An Allentown police officer is facing charges after authorities say he showed up to work drunk.
That same day, he testified in a homicide trial at the Lehigh County Courthouse.
Robert Rudolph II, 43, of Easton, is charged with DUI, according to court paperwork.
Allentown police Chief Charles Roca said Rudolph is currently on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation into the incident.
“Because this is an active personnel matter, I will not comment further at this time,” Roca said.
An Allentown police officer was told on July 29 shortly before 10:30 a.m. that Rudolph was suspected of DUI and was at police headquarters, according to court documents.
Authorities said Rudolph had an odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and had “glassy eyes, body tremors and an unsteady gait.”
Court documents say Rudolph admitted to drinking a fifth of vodka the night before.
Rudolph admitted to driving a vehicle from Easton to Allentown, arriving in Allentown around 9:30 a.m., when he parked his vehicle in a secured parking deck at 4th and Hamilton Street, according to court paperwork.
After conducting a field sobriety test, an Allentown police officer determined Rudolph to be impaired to a degree that he could not operate a vehicle safely, court documents say.
He faces a preliminary hearing Sept. 3.
The case in which Rudolph had testified on the day he is accused of driving drunk to work ended with Evander Thompson convicted of felony charges of criminal homicide, murder of the first degree; and firearms not to be carried without a license. Thompson was convicted of killing 61-year-old Orlando Ibanez, who died Sept. 23, 2023.
Just before 2 a.m. on Sept. 23, 2023, Allentown Police responded to a 911 call for a shooting at 540 W. Allen Street.
Officers found Ibanez at the entrance to his apartment. Ibanez died from a gunshot wound to his neck and his death was ruled a homicide by Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio.
Officers found a shell casing near Ibanez’ body that was collected as evidence.
City surveillance cameras showed a man later identified as Thompson enter the West Allen Street home just prior to the shooting where he remained for several minutes before running away.
Video footage recovered by the investigators showed Thompson using his cellphone moments after the shooting.
Upon recovering his cellphone and obtaining court permission to search the phone, it was revealed that while walking away from the shooting Thompson texted to his paramour the words “he dead.”
Investigators also used city cameras and privately-owned cameras that showed Thompson walking to the scene of the shooting from his home at 230 N. Nagle St. and later returning to his home after the shooting.
Other video footage showed Thompson prior to the shooting wearing the same clothing and leaving an Allentown bar and restaurant just after 1 a.m. the morning the killing occurred. Copies of the receipts from that establishment identified Thompson as being there in the hours before the murder occurred.
Authorities later found a gun on Thompson’s paramour’s minor son. The Lehigh County District Attorney’s Firearm and Tool Mark Laboratory compared that gun to the shell casing found at the scene of the homicide and the projectile removed from the victim at the autopsy and determined both items matched the gun recovered from the minor.
Police and analysts with the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center also found a video recorded by Thompson showing himself with a gun consistent with the murder weapon.
We reached out to Thompson’s attorney, who says that due to pending litigation, she cannot comment at this time.