Local

Tempers flare during hearing of Orange Co. deputy accused of drunken driving crash

ORLANDO, Fla. — Channel 9 was in court Monday morning for a hearing in the case of an Orange County deputy accused of driving while drunk.

The case took a strange turn when the first deputy to respond to the scene told the court during the hearing the suspect didn't seem to be drunk. 

Dash-cam video shows the traffic stop involving Sgt. Kevin Meyer.

Authorities said Meyer was in uniform when he drove an unmarked car with the emergency lights on and then slammed into another car in May.

The defense is now challenging some of the evidence in the case.

Things got tense in court Monday between the judge and lawyers. The hearing ended abruptly with the prosecutor asking the judge to remove herself from the case. 

Meyer has been on administrative duty since the crash.

Meyer was not in court Monday. 

"Evidence would suggest things are not what they appear to be. ... Let's just leave it at that," said his attorney. 

Attorneys on both sides argued about what evidence should or should not be presented at trial. 

The hearing centered on testimony from an Orange County deputy, the first on the scene moments after Meyer slammed his unmarked  Sheriff's Office pickup truck into a car. 

The deputy said he didn't notice anything unusual about Meyer's appearance or behavior.

"Did you hear any slurred speech?" asked the attorney for the defense, Stuart Hyman.

"I guess not," said the Orange County deputy. 

Thirty minutes later, Florida Highway Patrol troopers described Meyer as unsteady and confused. 

They said he reeked of alcohol and refused to finish field sobriety exercises. 

Troopers said that in his truck, they found a bottle of Powerade they suspect was mixed with alcohol. 

Meyer's attorney said Monday that tests on that bottle were inconclusive because of a malfunction with the machine doing the test. 

In another twist during a hearing full of arguments and objections, the judge lost her patience.

"If we don't have all our cards on the table, then we are just playing today. We are just playing," said the judge. 

The prosecutor asked the judge to recuse herself after an exchange about how fast she was pushing things along. It is not confirmed if the prosecutor has been recused yet.