ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A deputy with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office was arrested by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper on a driving under the influence charge Sunday, deputies said.
Deputy Gregory Popp was arrested early Sunday morning on State Road 528 near Dallas Boulevard in Orange County.
According to FHP’s report, Popp was spotted driving a black pickup truck erratically on the Expressway just after 3 a.m.
The pickup truck was swerving in and out of lanes, reports said.
A trooper pulled over the truck, which had three other passengers in the vehicle.
Popp told the trooper he was very tired and that he had been up since 6 a.m.
The trooper asked where Popp had been, and Popp told him he was at the Jimmy Buffet concert.
Jimmy Buffet was scheduled to perform in Tampa.
Popp told the trooper he had been at the concert venue since 10 a.m. Saturday and the show didn’t start until 8 p.m.
He admitted he had been drinking during those hours.
According to the reports, Popp’s movements were sluggish, his eyes were bloodshot and he smelled of alcohol.
He refused to take a breathalyzer or perform field sobriety tests.
Popp was then arrested on a DUI charge.
The deputy spoke to a woman in the truck who told him she had not drank any alcohol for several hours.
She blew a 0.000 and was released, reports said.
Popp has been with the department since 2007, and is assigned to the Agricultural/Marine unit.
He’s off the job, and was relieved of his credentials and firearms pending the results of the investigation, deputies said.
WFTV
