Saturday, August 29, 2009

Deputy John Harvey Arrested for DUI After He Hit Police Car

A Volusia County, Florida, Sheriff's Office deputy was arrested for DUI after he struck a police car last night. The police car was a marked vehicle.

The Florida Highway Patrol arrested Deputy John Harvey for rear-ending a police car early Saturday morning. Immediately following the fender-bender, Harvey attempted to flee the scene.

Officers located his vehicle shortly after and pulled him over for suspicion of DUI. He was eventually booked with charges of DUI, reckless driving and leaving the scene of a crash. He was off-duty and in a personal vehicle at the time of the accident.

Leaving the scene of an accident in Florida is a misdemeanor in the second degree. This is the officer's first DUI offense, so he will additionally be charged with misdemeanor DUI. He will likely face a 6 to 12 month license suspension and fines.

Harvey works in the civil section of the sheriffs office. This typically means he would be responsible for filing and serving of papers that originate in the sheriff's office. This sections also executes court orders. There are both field jobs and administrative jobs within the civil section. There is no information as to whether Harvey works in the field or in an administrative capacity.

He has served the sheriff's office for 12 years. There has been no comment thus far regarding how long he will remain on administrative leave. Sheriff's employees typically face a criminal investigation and prosecution as well as one carried out by their employer.

The Internal Affairs investigation carried out by the employer will determine whether Harvey broke agency policies and how he should be held accountable.

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