POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Polk County deputy recently resigned on the spot after he was arrested for DUI, the sheriff's office explained in a news release.
At approximately 3:12 a.m. on Saturday, Bartow police responded to a car crash off the roadway of Highway 60, near Main Street. On scene, they found 29-year-old James Peach, a deputy with the Polk County Sheriff's Office, who had been driving eastbound on the road.
Deputies say Peach lost control of his Chevrolet Silverado and hit a tree on the shoulder of the road.
It was determined that the 29-year-old appeared intoxicated and was arrested for suspicion of DUI.
Peach, who didn't have injuries from the crash, was taken to the county's processing center where his blood alcohol concentration reportedly was .153, which is over the legal limit of .08.
The 29-year-old, who was hired as a detention deputy in 2019 and became a deputy sheriff in 2022, reigned during the booking process.
"Peach would have been fired had he not resigned," the sheriff's office explains.
He posted a $500 bond and was released.
"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 – that's exactly what happened," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.