In a late-night collision that involved a Manatee County Sheriff's Office deputy, a DUI suspect was arrested after slamming his pickup truck head-on into a patrol car on Sunday. As reported by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, the deputy was making a routine southbound patrol on 301 Boulevard West and was about to turn into the MCSO Operations Center just before midnight when the crash occurred.
The incident unfolded when the pickup, driven by 47-year-old William Thomas, veered into oncoming traffic and crashed into the deputy's cruiser, causing it to roll over. Immediate assistance came from nearby deputies who found the deputy conscious, and despite suffering minor abrasions, was later treated at a local hospital. Thomas, who was non-compliant with deputies' commands, displayed clear signs of impairment, including a strong odor of alcohol emanating from his person, as per the Sheriff's Office.
Upon being medically cleared, Thomas was taken to the Manatee County Jail. It was there he submitted to a breath test that returned blood alcohol concentrations of 0.279 and 0.268 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath, nearly three times above the legal limit in Florida. With evidence mounting from the observed impairment, his refusal to perform sobriety exercises, the Breathalyzer results, and the nature of the crash, probable cause was determined to charge Thomas with F.S.S. 316.193(3)(c)1: Driving Under the Influence Causing Damage to Property or Injury to Another Person.
The deputy involved in the accident is recovering, and updates on his condition have yet to be disclosed by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.
