Governor suspends Longwood city commissioner following DUI arrest

LONGWOOD, Fla. — Gov. Rick Scott suspended Longwood City Commissioner Haywood "Butch" Bundy on Friday.

Bundy was charged with DUI and turned himself in to the Seminole County Jail Thursday evening. He posted bond and was released out later that night.

"We expect any elected official in our state to live up to the highest ethical standards and I always look at anything like that," said Scott.

Longwood police said that on Nov. 10, Bundy left a car dealership and then ran a red light a short time later, crashing and injuring himself and a female passenger.

Channel 9's Tim Barber spoke with a woman who said she honked several times in an effort to get Bundy to stop the night of the crash.

The witness said she was at an intersection turning onto Ronald Reagan Boulevard when Bundy ran the red light, slammed into a sign and then crashed by Milwee Middle School.

Police said Bundy had been drinking when he got into the driver's seat of his Ford Mustang.

Bundy is charged with one count of DUI with serious bodily injury and one count of reckless driving causing serious injury, which are both third-degree felonies.

Barber learned the woman who was in the car with Bundy lost the use of two joints in her fingers.

Bundy is scheduled to appear in court in March for his arraignment.

Since the crash, Channel 9 has sent the Longwood Police Department 20 emails asking for the police report, but the city said it's not public record.

But Barber checked with the nonpartisan First Amendment Foundation, which said that information is public record.

"Was the commissioner given any special treatment?" asked Barber.

"Everything has policy and procedure," said Longwood Officer Kevin Tuck. "Nothing is done anything differently. Nobody will receive any type of favors."

But the only address redacted from the crash report was the former commissioner's, which is also public record, said Barber.

Aside from those issues, Channel 9's legal analyst said the criminal investigation was done by the book.

WFTV