BRADENTON, Fla. — The state no longer will pursue its case against Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse, who was accused of driving under the influence when he crashed into a tree in a subdivision near his home.
In a court filing dated June 20, the state said it's dropping its charge of driving while under the influence/unlawful blood alcohol level against Kruse. He previously pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Kruse and his wife were seen on body camera video sitting in the back of an SUV and talking to a deputy questioning them about what happened during the evening of April 20, 2022. Kruse told the deputy he crashed his Ford F-150 into a tree around 7:30 p.m.
In the video, Kruse can be heard slurring his words while answering questions. The lieutenant is later heard in the video saying, "he’s drunk." An incident report described the county commissioner as confused and having "glassy eyes, slurred speech, clammy wet skin, and droopy eyelids."
But at the time, Kruse was let go with a citation because deputies couldn’t prove he was the one behind the wheel at the time of the crash.
"I just can’t do a DUI because no one can put him behind the wheel. When I got here, he was in his wife’s car,” the deputy continued.
The State Attorney's Office announced almost a year ago to the day that Kruse would be arraigned on a single count of DUI.
The incident reports state two different reasons were given for the crash. Kruse originally told law enforcement he was trying to avoid a crash with another driver, but authorities say Kruse told his insurance company he swerved to avoid an animal.
A judge earlier this year ruled that audio in the body camera footage, including what Kruse said to law enforcement, wouldn't be used in his scheduled trial. The commissioner and his attorney sought to suppress the statements he made to the lieutenant at the scene claiming they are protected by the accident report privilege "because the officer did not read Miranda" rights.
10 Tampa Bay's previous reporting contributed to this story.