Hillsborough County Crime Scene Investigator Arrested In Manatee County On Suspicion Of DUI

A 15-year-old policy of terminating employees of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office who are arrested for driving under the influence may cost the niece of a former chief deputy her job as a crime scene investigator.

Per Manatee County authorities, the 24-year-old was driving her Lexus southbound on the Sunshine Skyway when stopped just past midnight on March 9. Per the arresting officer, the vehicle was traveling 20 m.p.h. below the posted limit and failing to consistently remain in a single lane.

According to the officer, her eyes were glassy and she smelled of alcoholic drink when stopped. She also allegedly told the officer she was heading to her home despite traveling in a direction away from her residence. He said he informed her that she was in a county other than that in which she lived, and the news prompted a blank stare of astonishment.

Unsteady on her feet, the officer took her to a nearby rest stop to administer a field sobriety test on her, with which he said she had difficulty. She was then arrested and booked into the Manatee County Jail on a single count of driving under the influence. The woman declined to provide a breath sample for alcohol testing, and she posted a bond of $120 and was released later that day.

Though no announcement regarding her further employment with the agency had been announced at the time of this writing, it seems all but certain that she would become the next in a long line of employees of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department to lose their jobs upon arrest for DUI.

Brunvand Wise, P.A. has been representing people charged with felony drug charges, drunk driving and white-collar crimes for over a quarter century. Contact our office today to discuss your Tampa Bay-area state or federal charges.