Orange County deputy relieved of duty following hit-and-run charge

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County sheriff's deputy was arrested Monday in connection with a March hit-and-run crash.

Officials said Deputy Carmelo Ortiz, 50, was arrested for allegedly rear-ending a couple's car in Oviedo last month and then driving away.

Investigators said Ortiz was driving his personal black Cadillac on March 7when he struck Elizabeth Bouton's car on Red Bug Lake Road near State Road 426.

Investigators said Ortiz got out of the car and walked up to see if Bouton and her passenger were OK and then got back in his Cadillac and left the scene.

Channel 9 obtained a copy of the 911 call made that night.

"Yeah, we just got hit from behind by a black Cadillac, and he's taking off," the victim told dispatchers.

According to the arrest report, Ortiz shut off his lights and drove in an aggressive manner trying to get away.

Bouton and her passenger followed Ortiz to get his license plate number and to see his face, FHP said.

An FHP report said troopers traced the license to Ortiz and found the Cadillac with front-end damage at his home.

According to the FHP report, troopers reported that when Ortiz came to the door, he matched the description given by Bouton and that he "had a very strong odor of breath alcohol, his eyes were extremely red and bloodshot and his speech was slurred."

Troopers said Ortiz denied being involved in a crash that evening but on Monday he was booked into the Seminole County Jail and bonded out the same day.

According to troopers, the charge against Ortiz is a third-degree felony.

Orange County sheriff's officials said Ortiz’s credentials and firearms have been confiscated while the department conducts an administrative review.

Ortiz has been with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office since December 1998, sheriff's officials said.

Ortiz was arrested after one of the victims identified him in a photo lineup. He has since been relieved of duty.

WFTV