Friday, June 26, 2009

Officer Leon Young Resigns After DUI Arrest

A Fort Myers Police Officer who was arrested in January allegedly for driving under the influence resigned in lieu of termination this month.

Leon Young, who faces trial Aug. 4 on a misdemeanor charge of DUI, resigned from the police force rather than being terminated, according to a department internal affairs report.

Young, 40, was stopped at a DUI checkpoint set up on College Parkway on Jan. 24 by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. He was with the department since 2006 and had previously worked for the Lee and Hendry sheriff’s offices.

According to the documents, investigators made three sustained findings about Young — that he broke the law, that he didn’t conduct himself in a way that reflects favorably on the department and that he attempted to use his position as an officer to gain leniency with deputies.

The report states Young was arrested around 2:30 a.m. Jan. 24 in a Publix parking lot. He was “uncooperative, confrontational and became agitated” and also used racial slurs as he was being arrested.