Clearwater Firefighter Found Passed Out In Truck

ST. PETE BEACH, FL – The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 36-year-old Clearwater firefighter for driving under the influence, possession of cocaine and resisting arrest.

On Tuesday, April 10, around 6 p.m., deputies were flagged down by a concerned resident complaining that a driver was sitting idle in his truck at a traffic light in the eastbound turn lane of Boca Ciega Drive at 75th Avenue in St. Pete Beach.

The driver, Andrew Leeth, was found slumped over in the driver’s seat. Deputies said he had bloodshot, glassy, watery eyes and the odor of alcohol on his breath. As a precaution, deputies called paramedics who took Leeth to Palms of Pasadena Hospital.

At the hospital, Leeth refused to submit a blood sample, removed his medical monitoring devices and attempted to leave. Deputies ordered him to stay put but Leeth ran toward the hospital exit and deputies used a taser to stop him.

Leeth was arrested and charged with one count of driving under the influence, one count of resisting arrest without violence and one count of possession of a controlled substance after deputies found a white powdery substance on him that tested positive for cocaine.

A seven-year member of Clearwater Fire & Rescue, Leeth has been place on administrative duties while his conduct is being reviewed.

Image via Pinellas Sheriff