Miami-Dade Deputy Relieved of Duty after DUI Arrest in Florida Keys

In a recent incident in the Florida Keys, a seasoned deputy from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, identified as Pedro Villalonga, found himself on the wrong side of the law. According to a report by Local 10 News, Villalonga was detained by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office on a DUI charge. He was observed driving a Ford pickup truck that was "occupying two lanes of travel" and showed evident signs of impairment on Monday night.

As per the Monroe County Sheriff's arrest report, the deputy, at 46, with his 18 years of service at the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, was accused of failing to maintain a single lane and not yielding to a rear vehicle. Moreover, Villalonga exhibited slurred speech and red, glossy eyes, with the scent of alcohol emanating from his breath, indicating impairment. Despite the evidence, he refused both field sobriety and breath testing. This was detailed by an arrest report obtained by WSVN, bringing the event to public attention.

In response to the arrest, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz expressed her disappointment, stating, "Driving impaired is not only illegal but also dangerous and reckless." She emphasized the importance of public trust and integrity in a statement obtained by Local 10 News, noting, "The public’s trust in our office is built on integrity, and his actions do not reflect who we are as an office." As a consequence, Villalonga has been relieved of duty with pay, pending further investigation, as reported recently.

While Villalonga is facing the repercussions of his alleged actions, media coverage of his work history reveals a more complex narrative. Notably, Villalonga was featured by South Florida media outlets, including Local 10 News, earlier this year in his role as an MDSO K-9 deputy, conducting security sweeps at Hard Rock Stadium ahead of a major sporting event. While no longer appearing in Monroe County Sheriff’s Office jail records as of yesterday, Villalonga is set to be arraigned in a Florida Keys courtroom on July 23.