POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A deputy with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office was arrested for driving while impaired Saturday after he was involved in a single-vehicle crash on K-Ville Avenue in the K-Ville area of Auburndale.
Deputies said Josiah Perry, 26, initially told them someone else was behind the wheel when he drove a 2017 Ford Explorer off K-Ville Avenue, but later admitted to being the driver.
When police responded to the crash, official arrest documents note that Perry’s eyes appeared bloodshot and watery. Perry also admitted that he had recently consumed a glass of vodka and cranberry juice.
Officers conducted a field sobriety test which determined Perry was indeed impaired. At the Sheriff’s Processing Center, police say Perry gave two breath samples of 0.128g/210L and 0.129g/210L. The legal threshold is 0.08g/210L.
“Perry has lost my trust and faith, as well as that of the community,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. “He can no longer serve as a law enforcement officer as a result of his conduct and untruthfulness.”
Perry was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) alcohol/drugs and DUI with property damage. He was hired by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in July 2019.
The sheriff’s office said Perry resigned from PCSO immediately after his arrest. Had he not resigned, he would have been terminated.