An Owyhee County (Idaho) Sheriff's deputy has been charged with DUI after police say he slammed his official vehicle into a power pole while drunk.
The deputy resigned from the sheriff's office in lieu of termination after he was charged. Owyhee County Sheriff Perry Grant told KTVB that the deputy was suspended without pay immediately after the incident.
The crash happened in Owyhee County on May 14 at about 6:30 a.m. while the deputy was on duty. Homedale Police Chief Jeff Eidemiller, who responded to the crash, said the deputy at first denied being under the influence of alcohol, blaming the wreck on a "coughing fit."
Eidemiller called the incident "very unfortunate" and said it was the first time in his decades-long police career that he has responded to an on-duty law enforcement officer driving under the influence.