Belle Isle officer arrested on suspicion of DUI allowed to keep job, police chief says

BELLE ISLE, Fla. — A Belle Isle police officer will not be fired after being arrested on suspicion of DUI.

In March, a Volusia County sheriff's deputy found Officer Ivar Ruiz passed out in his truck on a median on State Road 44.

Ruiz had his foot on the brake with the engine running.

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Body camera video shows the deputy didn't seemed to know who he was until he was out of the car.

Ruiz refused to do field sobriety tests and was arrested. He was then relieved of duty as an internal investigation began.

During the interview with his department, he said he only had four beers that night, but Police Chief Laura Houston said the video showed that was probably not true.

Houston demoted Ruiz to a probationary officer for the next six months.

"In this situation, it was the officer, it was one vehicle, pulled over in a ditch, drunk," Houston said. "He was not on duty, this is a first-time occurrence and, frankly, this officer has done a fantastic job at the agency."

He was under an internal investigation by Longwood police for being rude to someone when he resigned to come to Belle Isle. The city hired him, saying he was the best candidate they interviewed.

Ruiz was commended by the governor for his response after Hurricane Michael ravaged the panhandle, and by Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma for his help in catching Rocky Rudolph after he was on the run accused of dragging a deputy.

Ruiz was also investigated for truthfulness regarding his DUI arrest. The report found that his statements were not lies, but just what he could recall about how much he drank that night.

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