FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A 54-year-old man died while in custody after he was arrested for DUI in Flagler County, according to sheriff’s officials.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a crash Thursday morning near Corporate Drive North and Palm Coast Parkway in Palm Coast, where 54-year-old Vadim Valenteychik told deputies he had driven over a curb and hit a building.
Sheriff’s officials said deputies smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from Valenteychik and later conducted field sobriety exercises, which were stopped “due to safety concerns” after he struggled to stand. Deputies also said they found a large beer can on the driver’s seat floorboard.
Valenteychik was taken into custody for DUI and DUI with property damage and taken to a hospital for medical clearance, the sheriff’s office said.
[WATCH BELOW: Teen allegedly involved in Flagler County kidnapping could face more charges]
“While at the hospital, two breath tests were administered, with the first resulting in a BAC of 0.325% and the second a 0.340%, both more than four times the legal limit of 0.08%,” the sheriff’s office said in a release.
More than six hours after being taken to the hospital, Valenteychik was given medical clearance and taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. Officials said Valenteychik was placed in a single-person cell and was checked on throughout the night by deputies.
Deputies found Valenteychik unresponsive after 6 a.m. Friday and he was later pronounced dead after medical staff attempted life-saving measures, including the use of an automated external defibrillator.
The sheriff’s office said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly requested the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the death. After that investigation, the sheriff’s office will conduct an internal review.