Hillsborough Deputy's Disney Crash Led To DUI Arrest: Troopers

TAMPA, FL — An off-duty sergeant with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office faces a DUI charge after a Tuesday crash at the Walt Disney World Resort. Florida Highway Patrol troopers say the crash involved a pedestrian bridge, two open bottles of Fireball whisky and a law enforcement officer who claimed to not understand Miranda rights.

According to the sheriff’s office, the agency was notified about Sgt. Timothy Craig’s arrest on Wednesday, July 12. Craig, an email from the sheriff’s office said, was off duty and in his own vehicle at the time of his arrest.

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According to the highway patrol, troopers were called out to East Buena Vista Drive late Tuesday night after a gray Toyota Tundra crashed. An arrest report noted, the Tundra was found "3/4 of a way through a pedestrian bridge with damage to the front end and rear sides of the vehicle, which is indicative of a multiple collision." The investigating trooper determined Craig's truck hit a stop sign, entered a pedestrian crosswalk bridge and "began bouncing off the pillars with its front and rear sides."

Troopers say they "recovered two open Fireball whiskey bottles in the area between the driver seat and the center console," the report noted. Craig was taken to Celebration Hospital after the crash. Troopers followed him there for an interview, the report said.

Craig said he didn't remember the crash, but the report said he had "glassy, red bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and the odor of alcohol on his breath. The defendant was in and out of consciousness while being treated by hospital staff. The defendant also appeared spaced when talking with him."

After Craig's release from the hospital, troopers wanted to read him his Miranda Rights before they spoke with him more, the report said.

"The defendant stated that he did not understand his Miranda Rights," the report said. "This is surprising considering the defendant's occupation."

Craig, troopers said, also refused to perform standard field sobriety tests. He was ultimately charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, a chemical, or controlled substance. When troopers took him to the Orange County Breath Test Center, they say Craig refused to provide a sample, the report noted.

In addition to DUI, Craig was cited for careless driving and two counts of having open containers.

Craig, 46, has been suspended without pay, the sheriff’s office said. He also faces an internal administrative review.

Craig has been employed by the sheriff’s office since 1994. He is assigned to the community outreach division.

Image via Shutterstock