3 Brevard County corrections deputies charged with DUI; sheriff calls them 'knuckleheads'

Over a span of three days, three Brevard County corrections deputies have been charged with driving under the influence while off-duty, Sheriff Wayne Ivey said.

"In our profession, we see daily how people's lives are negatively impacted by alcohol abuse," Ivey said. "This is what happens when you know better but you still make the wrong choice."

All three DUIs resulted in property damage, Ivey added, saying that the "knuckleheads" have been suspended without pay from their jobs at the Brevard County Jail.

Two of the corrections deputies were arrested after leaving the same establishment, Ivey said.

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Brittany Rowland, William Dampman and Ronald Collins all crashed their private vehicles resulting in property damage while driving under the influence, Ivey said.

"They will be suspended without pay until the internal investigation is concluded. At that time a determination will be made reference any further actions," said Brevard County Sheriff's office spokesman Tod Goodyear.

Rowland, 28, crashed her vehicle into a concrete barrier on U.S. 1 in Titusville just before 4 a.m. Sunday, according to Titusville Police Department reports. Breath tests for Rowland showed she had a blood-alcohol level of .235, nearly three times the state's legal limit of .08.

A level of .16 to .30 is considered to be "severe impairment,' when all driving-related skills are dangerously impaired, alcohol poisoning is common and a loss of consciousness is possible, according to awareawakealive.org.

During the stop, she told officers she was coming from "the pub."

The State Attorney's Office said there's no criminal statute specifically addressing the over service of alcohol in Florida. Serving alcohol to minors is the only criminal statute holding someone liable for giving a person alcohol, 18th Judicial Circuit spokesman Todd Brown said.

Dampman, 31, crashed his vehicle into a ditch off Montgomery Road near U.S. 1 in Mims only 30 minutes after Rowland, taking out a stop sign in the process, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. He refused to take a blood-alcohol content test.

Collins crashed his car into the side of a bank building about 8:12 p.m. Monday on State Road A1A in Cocoa Beach, police there said. He was charged with DUI and refusal to submit to a blood-alcohol content test, Cocoa Beach police spokesman Sgt. Manny Hernandez said.

Officers took Collins to Cape Canaveral Hospital for medical treatment, Hernandez said. He was transferred to Health First's Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne.

All three deputies will deal with their criminal charges in court and face administrative investigations by the Sheriff's Office to determine if they'll be disciplined.

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