Tampa DUI Lawyer :: Pasco County Teacher Charged with DUI

August 14, 2013

A 49-year-old Pasco County teacher was arrested and charged with driving under the influence Thursday afternoon after his car was allegedly found in a ditch by Pasco sheriff’s deputies.

The man teaches at a school in Dade City.

According to reports, at 2 p.m. on Thursday he was placed in the back seat of a deputy’s car, talking with a Florida Highway Patrol trooper. The trooper claims he smelled of alcohol, and when he tried to get out of the car to talk with the officer, he fell over.

According to the arrest report, the man could not walk without assistance.

His car was found in a ditch on the south side of State Road 54, just west of Foster Lane.

The man apparently agreed to perform sobriety tests at the scene, but reports indicate he could not stand by himself to try to walk in a straight line or stand on one leg.

A trooper allegedly found a prescription bottle of Temazepam, which is used to treat insomnia, in his front left pocket and a two-thirds full bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey on the front driver’s side seat of his car.

Shortly before 3 p.m., the man told the trooper he had chest pains and extreme pain in his right leg. He was taken by ambulance to Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. According to a Florida Highway Patrol spokesman, a test showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.183. In Florida, a driver is presumed impaired at 0.08.

The man was arrested and booked into the Land O’Lakes jail Thursday night. He was released a few hours later on his own recognizance.

If you are a teacher facing a DUI charge, you should make sure you prepare yourself for the possible consequences that can stem from your arrest. Many employers have a zero tolerance policy towards drug and alcohol abuse, and if you have received a DUI in the Tampa Bay area or elsewhere in Florida, you could be terminated from your position. You could even be stripped of your teaching certification, depending on the circumstances associated with your DUI arrest. With the stakes this high, you must enlist the help of a Tampa DUI Defense Attorney at Whittel & Melton to help you obtain a successful outcome for your case and possibly you’re your job. By consulting with us as soon as possible after your arrest, we can walk you through your best course of action and work towards having the charges against you reduced or dismissed to increase your chances of maintaining your job.

Just because you receive a DUI does not necessarily mean you will be fired from your position as a teacher. However, there is no guarantee. Regardless, even if this is your first DUI offense, you could be facing severe consequences. If you are a teacher or professional that has been charged with a DUI in Florida, contact a Tampa DUI Lawyer at Whittel & Melton today online or call 813-221-3200. You can reach us statewide and toll-free 24/7 by dialing 866-608-5529.

Photo credit: Keith Allison / Foter / CC BY-SA