Tampa Man’s Argument That Disinfectant Spray Triggered Alcohol Monitor Falls on Deaf Ears

Despite arguing that a popular disinfectant spray triggered the alcohol monitor and not alcohol consumption, a Tampa man is back in jail after his bond in a DUI manslaughter case was revoked.

According to an attorney representing Brock Michael Troutman, he became ill with a stomach complaint, causing him to vomit. In an attempt at stopping the spread of the virus, Troutman says he applied a disinfectant spray to the bathroom where he had been ill.

Several days later Pinellas County officials say they detected a reading from his alcohol monitor indicating that he had consumed alcohol at some point, thus violating the terms of his release. In a hearing before Pinellas-Pasco Circuit judge Pat Siracusa, Troutman’s attorney told the court he surmised that the monitor detected the alcohol in the disinfectant spray, leading to a false reading.

Although Troutman put on witnesses testifying that the monitor would not return the results it did had he consumed an alcoholic beverage, the assertion was unsuccessful. Siracusa declined to set a bail, ruling that Troutman had violated the letter of the law, which said he was prohibited from using any product containing alcohol.

Troutman was out on bond awaiting the appeal to his conviction of DUI manslaughter last March. He was found guilty of striking and killing two tourists in Clearwater Beach in the spring of 2015 while driving drunk. He will be facing five years in prison and a decade on probation should his appeal be unsuccessful.

The Law Offices of Bjorn Brunvand have been representing people charged with capital murder, felony drug charges, drunk driving, government fraud, and white-collar crimes for over a quarter century. Contact our office today to discuss your Tampa Bay-area state or federal charges.