POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A sheriff’s deputy faces DUI charges after being involved in a single-vehicle crash in Bartow, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said Bartow police responded to the crash off the roadway of Highway 60 near Main Street around 3:12 a.m. on Saturday.
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According to the release, 29-year-old James Peach was driving his personal Chevrolet Silverado eastbound on Highway 60 when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree on the shoulder of the road.
Bartow police officers said that Peach appeared intoxicated, and he was placed under arrest for suspicion of DUI, according to the release.
Peach was uninjured, deputies said.
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Peach was taken to the PCSO Processing Center, where deputies said his blood alcohol level was .153, over the .08 legal limit.
According to the release, Peach was hired in April 2019 as a detention deputy and became a deputy sheriff in September 2022.
PCSO supervision accepted Peach’s resignation during the booking process, and according to the release, “he would have been fired had he not resigned.”
Peach posted a $500 bond and was released.
“In orientation I tell everyone you are held to a higher standard than the rest of the community and if you drink and drive you will be arrested and lose your job. That’s exactly what happened,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
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