An off-duty Florida police officer was arrested for DUI after the Key West Police Department found him sitting in the driver’s seat of his parked pickup truck. Newly released bodycam footage shows the officer stumbling around the vehicle before refusing to perform field sobriety tests.
The footage was obtained by WPLG, and it shows KWPD Officer Dustin Christina, 40, at 5 a.m. Aug. 16 in the Old City Hall parking lot off Greene Street, sitting in the driver’s seat of his truck. Initial reports stated that officers saw Christina driving several hours earlier, nearly hitting a woman who had to run onto the curb to avoid being struck.
When Christina was approached, officers asked how much he had been drinking. He reportedly responded, “I had a few,” before claiming that he wasn’t the person who drove the truck to the parking lot.
Christina allegedly told officers he was waiting for someone to pick him up, but that person had left. Officers said they noticed several signs of possible intoxication while speaking with him.
Things Get Wobbly
According to the arrest report, Christina had a blank stare, bloodshot and watery eyes, a flushed face, and an odor of alcohol coming from him. Things didn’t look much better when he got out of the truck.
Officers said Christina wiped his forehead before stumbling backward into the pickup. He then reportedly used his legs to push himself away from the vehicle before trying to close the driver’s door and missing it.
A Desperate Attempt
Christina maintained that he had not driven the pickup to the parking lot. According to the arrest report, he insisted that he didn’t do anything and was waiting on someone to pick him up.
That didn’t add up since hours earlier Christina was seen by officers turning from Greene Street onto Ann Street. That was where he nearly struck a woman, who had to move onto the curb to get out of the truck’s path.
He Denied a Field Sobriety Test
Officers attempted to conduct field sobriety tests, but Christina refused. A supervising officer at the scene determined there was probable cause to take Christina into custody. He was transported to the Monroe County Detention Center and charged with DUI and refusing to submit to a blood alcohol test.
The Key West Police Department initially announced Christina’s arrest on Aug. 16, saying he was off duty when officers responded to complaints involving a vehicle. A KWPD spokesperson stated that their own officers are held to the same standards of the law as any member of the public.