Off-Duty Pinellas Sheriff Charged With Driving Under Influence

CLEARWATER, FL — Clearwater police arrested an off-duty Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputy and charged him with driving under the influence.

At about 2:17 a.m., on Wednesday, officers stopped a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck at Belcher Road and Gulf to Bay Boulevard in Clearwater after they said it failed to stop at a red light.

Police said the driver, 45-year-old Rickey Rogers, showed signs of impairment. There was an odor of alcohol on his breath and he had slurred speech and watery, glossy eyes, police said.

Rogers agreed to perform field sobriety tests but performed poorly on them but he refused to submit a breath sample, police said.

Rogers was hired by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office on July 12, 2004. He worked as a deputy in the Patrol Operations Bureau.

He was immediately fired following his arrest.