St. Cloud City Employee Arrested In Hit And Run

In our last article, we discussed how a police officer might keep their job after a DUI. The police officer would need to cooperate completely with the court. That includes getting court-ordered treatment for substance abuse, not attacking the arresting officer or his ability to do his job, and accepting full responsibility for the danger that he placed other drivers in.

Your chances of getting a favorable plea, however, diminish incredibly if you flee the scene of an accident causing injury, death, or property damage. Instead, you face additional charges relating to those crimes. Your chances of keeping your job also go down remarkably if you’re caught under the influence while on the job.

What happened? 

A City of St. Cloud employee fled the scene of an accident he caused while driving a municipal truck. Police received a call that a Ford F550 bearing a City of St. Cloud tag crashed into several vehicles and then took off. An officer was able to locate the truck and attempted to pull it over. The officer said that the employee behind the wheel slammed the breaks after nearly crashing into several mailboxes. The arresting officer demanded that the employee put the car in park, but the employee began driving the truck away. Eventually, however, the employee did stop the car.

After conducting a search of the truck, police found an open bottle of Fireball whiskey. The employee appeared confused, was slurring his speech, and his eyes were watery and bloodshot. He was taken to the hospital and then sent to jail after he was medically cleared.

Tallying up the charges 

Police only said that the employee was charged with DUI and several traffic offenses. That sounds like a sweetheart deal. Basically, the defendant, in this case, can be charged with one count of DUI with property damage for every vehicle he damaged. It sounds like the defendant damaged several vehicles, so why he isn’t facing DUI with property damage charges is a mystery. Further, the article doesn’t mention the driver’s BAC, but it sounds like he was pretty far gone by the time the police pulled him over. It’s likely that the defendant’s BAC was more than double the legal limit which triggers enhanced penalties.

Lastly, the driver fled the scene of the accidents he caused which is its own separate crime. It sounds like one count of simple DUI and a handful of traffic infractions is far less than this defendant could have been charged with.

However, because he was on the job behind the wheel of a city vehicle and then fled the scene of an accident involving property damage, this defendant will likely lose their job with the city. While some DUI situations are forgivable, those who are drunk on the job don’t get to keep their jobs. It’s a liability hazard.

Talk to an Orlando DUI Lawyer Today 

Not all DUIs are created equally. Those who do the right thing, stop after an accident, and submit to the court process are much more likely to get a good deal and keep their job. FL DUI Group realizes that not all DUI defendants deserve the same outcomes. Call our Florida DUI defense attorneys today and allow us to advocate on your behalf as you deal with these serious charges.

Resource:

clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/04/30/city-of-st-cloud-employee-arrested-for-dui-after-hit-and-run-in-municipal-truck-police-say/