Brooksville, Florida DUI Attorney :: Hernando County Deputy Suspended for Suspicion of DUI

April 28, 2011

A Hernando County deputy has been placed on paid suspension because he is being investigated for DUI. Two Brooksville, Florida women noticed a car swerving off the road early Sunday morning and called 911 while following the vehicle.

The women tailed the vehicle to the deputy’s home where they were shocked to see a squad car parked in the driveway. The deputy thought the women really liked him and proceeded to flirt with them.

The deputy is a nine-year veteran of the sheriff’s office. According to the Hernando Today, the deputy was off-duty and on his way home from a bar in the area.

Authorities showed up at the deputy’s house that morning after he had exited his vehicle and made it inside his home. Detectives said that the women in the car and anyone else who saw the deputy that night will be asked to provide statements.

The deputy and former detective has previously been suspended by the sheriff’s office three times. There are also two cases against him right now— a criminal investigation involving the State Attorney’s Office and an Internal Affairs investigation.

The deputy has been suspended before for suspicion of alcohol abuse.

DUI suspects can still be prosecuted despite whether they are caught behind the wheel. In Florida, to prove DUI prosecutors must show that the defendant drove or was at some point physically in control of the vehicle and was under the influence of alcoholic beverages or a chemical substance or had a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or more grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, or a breath-alcohol level of 0.08 or more grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. In cases like this one, witness testimony is crucial to making the charges stick. Law enforcement does not have to actually witness the crime being committed to charge a person with DUI. If a witness or witnesses state they saw a person commit DUI, then the person will most likely be investigated and charged.

This is an interesting case because the deputy is under investigation for multiple crimes and has been suspended before for alleged alcohol abuse. It will be noteworthy to see how prosecutors handle this charge.

If you or someone you know has been accused of DUI in the Florida area, contact the Florida DUI Lawyers at the Law Offices of Whittel & Melton, LLC online or call 352-666-2121or 1-866-608-5LAW (5529).