TAMPA, Fla. — A Hillsborough County deputy on administrative leave is without a job after deputies found him behind the wheel following a drunk driving crash, the sheriff's office said.
Morris Valenzuela, 38, faces a charge of driving under the influence with property damage or personal injury for the Dec. 27 crash, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office news release.
Deputies say they responded just after 7:30 p.m. to a crash on northbound Interstate 275. Upon arrival, Valenzuela and a passenger were arguing and both showed signs of impairment, law enforcement said.
His breath alcohol content level reportedly was .146 and .149 — over the legal limit of .08.
"It is completely irresponsible for one of our deputies to get behind the wheel of a vehicle while intoxicated, he placed the lives of those in the vehicle and others on the road in danger," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "The fact that this deputy was under investigation, and still chose to make this poor decision, is unbecoming and violates the oath he took, to protect and serve."
Valenzuela resigned Wednesday at the start of an investigation into the crash, the sheriff's office said. He already was on administrative leave without pay due to an unrelated internal affairs investigation.
10 Tampa Bay has asked the sheriff's office for comment on that matter.
Valenzuela was employed by the agency for four years and was assigned to its Department of Detention Services.