NAPLES, Florida -- The first time Cpl. Robert Scott Russell was arrested on drunken driving charges, fellow deputies found him crying next to a tree near his crashed 2001 GMC Yukon.
The Collier County Sheriff's deputy said he was upset over the death of his father and a recent break up with a girlfriend when he went drinking with friends in July 2002 at a bar north of Naples. He was off duty at the time.
On Monday, Russell was on duty and driving a marked Collier County Sheriff's Office cruiser about 4 p.m. when he was arrested following a two-vehicle crash at Pine Ridge Road and Collier Boulevard, which deputies say he caused.
His behavior was so strange at the scene that deputies had him taken to the hospital for an evaluation, reports show. A deputy said he was speaking slowly and having trouble balancing but did not smell like alcohol. Deputies suspected based on his lethargy and water eyes that he might be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The 43-year-old, whose address and mug shot have been redacted from reports as part of a state law protecting law enforcement officers, was taken to NCH North.
Reports show Russell refused sobriety tests and would not submit a urine test. He faces charges of DUI and DUI with property damage because the second vehicle involved was damaged.
Spokeswoman Michelle Batten of the Colier County Sheriff's Office said Russell was traveling south on Collier Boulevard toward Pine Ridge Road in his marked patrol car when he failed to observe a vehicle in front of him waiting for a stop light. Russell swerved to avoid the collision and hit another vehicle in the eastbound turn lane.
Batten said that in keeping with policy, Russell will be placed on administrative leave while an internal investigation is conducted.
Back in 2002, Russell admitted to deputies that he had been drinking. The deputy, who stands 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 275 pounds, said he had two shots and maybe two or three screwdrivers — a mix of orange juice and vodka — before leaving the bar. He headed for a lake off a dirt road near Yarberry Lane to spend some time thinking, when his SUV got caught in some shrubs.
Russell, then 30, climbed through the vehicle's moon roof and accidentally tripped the OnStar alert system, which sent deputies to his location, looking for someone in distress.
When they found Russell, three deputies said they did not smell alcohol on him and believed their colleague's mental state was causing slurred speech. He sat crying in a deputy's cruiser for 30 minutes before his arrest, reports show.
But a night supervisor said he did smell alcohol. Russell failed a sobriety test, blowing a 0.08 on the Breathalyzer.
Following the arrest, Russell was placed on desk duty and stripped of his gun and law enforcement powers. He would later accept a plea agreement, reducing the DUI charge to reckless driving. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to six months probation.
Russell's attorney at the time, Donald Day, said Russell was not impaired when he caused the crash and that the Breathalyzer test was administered hours after Russell had stopped drinking, preventing an accurate reading for the time of the crash.
Russell was first hired by the Collier County Sheriff's Office in March 2001. His full personnel file was not immediately available for review Tuesday. Jail records show he posted bond and is not currently in custody.
Attempts to reach Russell were unsuccessful.
Copyright 2016 the Naples Daily News (Naples, Fla.)
Tribune News Service
