DUI Charge Faced by Jail Employee

Published by Fleet Tilden, Esq. at July 9, 2010

Pinellas County Sheriff’s office arrested a jail employee on allegations of DUI yesterday. According to authorities, Diane Ferron, an assistant inmate records supervisor, was leaving work Wednesday when she lost control of her vehicle and plowed through the jail’s exterior chain-link fence. Ferron, a civilian employee at the Pinellas County jail was charged with driving under the influence after reportedly crashing through a jail fence.

When deputies responded, they noted that Ferron seemed to be impaired. She reportedly failed a field sobriety test, but deputies ruled out alcohol. Ferron said she had taken prescription medication.

Ferron was charged with DUI and DUI with property damage. Since both charges are misdemeanors, the sheriff’s office reports that Ferron will be allowed to return to work pending an internal inquiry.

Florida penalties for a DUI with accident are considered more severe than an ordinary DUI charge. When a crash is involved, the minimum charge is a 1^st degree misdemeanor which means the potential jail sentence is 1 year instead of 6 months.

If you have been arrested or charged with a Orange County DUI or other criminal offense in Orlando and are facing criminal prosecution in either Orange County, Seminole County, Florida, contact the attorneys at Tilden Law for an initial and confidential consultation, 407-599-1234.

Fleet Tilden, Esq.

Beginning in 1923, attorney John Tilden, Esq. established his law practice in Downtown Orlando with a full service law firm serving Central Florida residents. Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, attorney N. Fleetwood Tilden, Esq. began his Central Florida law practice after graduating from law school in 1993. After a career as an Assistant State Attorney prosecuting Central Florida criminal cases, the Law Office of Tilden Law was established. Practicing exclusively Criminal Defense, Mr. Tilden has handled over 5,000 criminal cases.