UPDATE: As of April 30, 2021, the DUI charge in this case was reduced to careless driving. Original report follows.
Cameron Hokanson, 27, a deputy with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office was arrested for driving under the influence Friday evening while he was off duty, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
A Pinellas County deputy observed a vehicle speeding on McMullen-Booth Road at 70 miles per hour in a posted 45 mile per hour zone.
The deputy conducted a traffic stop and said the driver, Hokanson, was displaying indicators of impairment. These signs included the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and bloodshot watery glassy eyes. Hokanson told the deputy he was returning from the Dunedin Brewery.
According to the deputy, Hokanson performed poorly during roadside standardized field sobriety tests. Hokanson later told the deputy he did not have anything to drink prior to the traffic stop.
Hokanson was arrested and taken without incident to the Pinellas County Jail's Central Breath Testing, where he refused to provide any breath samples to measure his level of intoxication.
Hokanson is charged with one count of misdemeanor Driving Under the Influence.
The incident is under investigation.