Sheriff T.K. Waters. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on June 24, 2024 at 12:23 pm
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A Jacksonville police officer has been arrested and accused of driving under the influence, a first-degree misdemeanor.
The arrest of the nine-year veteran Todd Chupp, 52, marks the 12th arrest of a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office employee in 2024, according to reporting by News4Jax.
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Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said Chupp, who was not on duty, was found Sunday after the Sheriff’s Office got a call that someone was slumped over the steering wheel of a running truck.
Waters said the responding officer found an open alcohol container in the truck and Chupp appeared to be impaired. Waters said the officer then refused to participate in a field sobriety exercise.
“I hate when I have to do this, but at the same time these are adults,” Waters said. “These are men and women that we give a gun and a badge, they swear to do the right thing and do what they’re supposed to do. And when they don’t, it’s up to us and we have to make sure we hold them accountable.”
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Waters said Chupp is now the subject of an internal investigation and has been stripped of his law enforcement authority.
Earlier this month, a police officer was arrested and accused of domestic battery.
This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
