Broward County, FL - A South Florida sheriff's deputy has been arrested on DUI and reckless driving charges following a May crash that left a man injured.
Carlos Hernandez, a deputy with the Broward Sheriff's Office, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of DUI causing serious bodily injury to another, DUI with damage to property or person of another, reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and reckless driving causing damage to person or property for a May 15th accident that injured another driver in Pembroke Pines.
According to police, Hernandez was off-duty and behind the wheel of his unmarked BSO vehicle when he slammed into the back of a 2018 KIA Sportage around 5:45 a.m. on the 13600 block of Pines Boulevard.
Officials say the impact caused the Sportage to go off the roadway, hitting a tree and rolling onto its roof.
Investigators say Hernandez was going 77 mph five seconds before the crash, and 71 mph at the time of the impact.
The speed limit on Pines Boulevard was 45 mph.
Responding deputies noticed the odor of alcohol on Hernandez’s breath.
Detectives listened to the dispatch recordings and noticed that Hernandez’s speech was slow and slurred.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the Broward County Sheriff's Office said investigators determined Hernandez operated the vehicle "in a reckless manner, displaying a willful or wanton disregard for the safety and/or property of others."
Hernandez has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of his case.