A U.S. Postal Service driver was arrested on DUI charges Tuesday night after his mail truck nearly struck a Fort Lauderdale police officer and he reportedly pulled a toothbrush from his pocket to start brushing his teeth in the middle of a roadside sobriety test. Eliezer Valcourt, 32, was identified as the driver after officers responded to the 700 block of Northeast 17th Court around 8 p.m.
According to NBC 6 South Florida, police had received calls describing a marked USPS vehicle stopped in the roadway with the driver inside. Per an arrest report cited by WSVN 7News, the calls came in after people reported seeing a USPS mail truck driver screaming while driving down the road. Police said officers located the truck, which nearly struck an officer before they conducted a traffic stop.
Signs of Impairment Trigger DUI Investigation
Once officers noticed possible signs of impairment, a DUI officer was called to the scene, per the arrest report. That officer reported that Valcourt appeared unsteady on his feet, had glassy, watery eyes and droopy eyelids, and was slurring his speech. The officer also said there was a strong odor of alcohol on Valcourt's breath, according to the arrest report.
Valcourt told officers he was working and had been on the job since 9 a.m., with just three streets left on his route, the report states. He denied drinking that day, according to the account relayed by the station, but agreed to perform field sobriety exercises after police asked.
Toothbrush Moment Interrupts Sobriety Test
Before starting the walk-and-turn exercise, Valcourt pulled a toothbrush from his pocket and began brushing his teeth on the roadway, per the arrest report. He reportedly nearly fell at the end of the exercise and, per the report, showed seven of eight possible clues of impairment during the walk-and-turn test.
Valcourt was arrested on DUI-related charges and booked into the Broward County Main Jail. He faces two DUI-related charges, according to the report cited by the outlet. NBC 6 South Florida said it had reached out to the Postal Service for a statement and was still waiting to hear back.
What Florida Law Says About DUI Penalties
Under Florida Statutes § 316.193, DUI is defined as operating or being in actual physical control of a vehicle while impaired, or having a blood- or breath-alcohol level of at least 0.08. A first conviction carries a fine of $500 to $1,000 and up to six months in jail, with enhanced penalties kicking in if a convicted driver's blood- or breath-alcohol level reaches 0.15 or higher, or if someone under 18 was in the vehicle at the time.
This is not the first time a Florida mail carrier has faced DUI allegations while on the job. In April 2025, a USPS worker was arrested in Melbourne after she reportedly drank alcohol at a house party on her delivery route and was later caught driving the wrong way in traffic, according to a probable-cause affidavit cited by Local 10.
