FHP releases video of deputy's arrest after alleged drunken driving crash near Disney

Fireball whiskey reportedly found in suspect's truck

ORLANDO, Fla. – A video was released Wednesday of an arrest of a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office sergeant who was allegedly driving drunk near Walt Disney World on Tuesday.

The Florida Highway Patrol said Sgt. Timothy Michael Craig, 46, hit a stop sign, then struck a pedestrian crosswalk bridge, adding that he had two open bottles of Fireball whiskey between the driver's seat and the center console of his Toyota Tundra at the time of the crash.

Craig crashed on Buena Vista Drive and Broadway at approximately 9:45 p.m., first striking a stop sign with the front right side of his vehicle before entering the pedestrian crosswalk bridge and bouncing off the pillars, then coming to a final rest, according to the arrest affidavit.

[WATCH THE VIDEO OF CRAIG'S ARREST BELOW]

Orange County Fire Rescue took Craig to Florida Hospital Celebration Health, where troopers interviewed him about the crash. Craig couldn't remember anything about the crash, his eyes were bloodshot and glassy, he smelled like alcohol and he was slurring his words, the report said.

After Craig was released from the hospital, he was uncooperative with the troopers who tried to interview him about the crash, they said. When troopers told him they were conducting a DUI investigation, he placed his hands behind his back as if to be handcuffed, authorities said.

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Deputy Timothy Michael Craig's truck suffered front-end damage after a DUI crash near Disney, troopers said.

When asked if he understood his Miranda rights, Craig can be heard in the video saying, "No. I don't understand where you are going with this."

His only reply was "nope" when a trooper asked if he would be willing to talk with them about the crash. The report said he had the same reply when he was asked to do a field sobriety test.

Craig was charged with driving under the influence. He refused to take a Breathalyzer test after he was taken to the Orange County Jail, authorities said.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said Craig, who is assigned to the community outreach division, has been suspended without pay and will be facing an internal administrative review. He has been working for the agency since 1994.

Check back with News 6 for more on this developing story.


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