Officer Zachary Taylor, a 27-year-old patrol officer veteran who has been with the Jacksonville Sherriff's Office (JSO) for 3 and a half years, has been suspended after he was charged with DUI while driving his marked JSO cruiser.
On Thursday morning, Taylor's vehicle was reportedly spotted striking multiple construction cones near the TIAA Bank Field. Witnesses called police and the reports went through the JSO communications center to the Integrity Special Investigations Unit, which responded to the scene and found Taylor showing signs of being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
Taylor agreed to a breathalyzer, which he failed. He blew well over 0.08, which means he was well beyond the sheriff's office limit of 0.000 blood alcohol content when operating a JSO vehicle. This prompted the DUI charge. During questioning about the incident Taylor made a statement to investigators alluding to activities from "the night before."
"We are emergency suspending him. The civil service rules allow us under particular circumstances to impose what's called an emergency suspension. We very rarely do it, because the situations don't call for it, but we believe it does in this situation," Undersheriff Pat Ivey said Thursday. "We will move to terminate him as soon as the time is appropriate." Ivey said the courts will have to determine whether enhanced charges are appropriate due to the fact that Taylor was driving was a public safety vehicle.
This arrest marks the third time a JSO officer has been arrested so far in 2021.
TL;DR : 3-year officer gets wasted Wednesday night and is caught driving drunk Thursday morning. Blows well over legal limit, gets charged with a DUI and served an emergency suspension from his job.