BARTOW, Fla. (WFLA) — A Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputy is out of a job after being accused of DUI on Saturday.
In a news release, the sheriff’s office said the Bartow Police Department responded to a crash on Highway 60 near Main Street at 3:12 a.m.
Officers determined James Peach, 29, was heading east on the highway before veering off the road and hitting a tree. Peach was driving his personal vehicle at the time of the crash and was not hurt.
Peach was arrested under suspicion of DUI. His blood alcohol concentration was measured at .153 while he was being booked into jail, the sheriff’s office said.
“In orientation, I tell everyone you are held to a higher standard than the rest of the community, and if you drink and drive, you will be arrested and lose your job,” Sheriff Grady Judd said. “That’s exactly what happened.”
The sheriff’s office said Peach would have been fired had he not resigned during booking. He joined the agency in April 2019 as a detention deputy and had served as a deputy sheriff since Sept. 2022.
Peach was released from jail after posting a $500 bond.
