Lafayette County Sheriff Arrested For DUI
POSTED: 8:25 am EDT April 28,
2003
MAYO, Fla. -- Lafayette County's sheriff, who was reinstated to his elected position in March following a seven-month suspension for multiple incidents of drunken public behavior, is now facing drunken driving charges.Dwayne Walker, 43, was charged with DUI early Sunday morning in Tampa. He was released from Hillsborough County Jail shortly before noon after posting $250 cash bond.Walker refused to submit to a blood-alcohol test, according to jail records.
Gov. Jeb Bush suspended Walker last August from his $88,000-a-year job after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated several incidents involving the sheriff, who is serving his third term. Walker was reinstated March 21."The sheriff was reinstated based on the evaluation that demonstrated that his behavior had changed from his ongoing treatment," Bush spokeswoman Jill Bratina told the St. Petersburg Times. "This is a significant breach of that and we will be taking immediate steps to address this situation."It could not be determined early Monday if Walker had retained an attorney or when he would next appear in court to face the charge.Walker's current term ends in 2004. He did not return several telephone messages on Sunday.Lafayette County is a predominately rural area of just over 7,000 residents located between Gainesville and Tallahassee.
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