Cherokee Sheriff's Deputy Resigns Following DUI Arrest (UPDATED)

CANTON, GA -- The Cherokee Sheriff's Office deputy who was arrested last week on a driving under the influence charge has resigned his post with the agency.

Jonathan Michael Nuzzo tendered his resignation on Wednesday, July 6, said sheriff's office spokesperson Sgt. Marianne Kelley.

Nuzzo, an eight-year veteran of the department, was assigned at the Cherokee County Justice Center. He was arrested June 30 and charged by the Ball Ground Police Department with DUI.

According to an incident report released by the department, an officer was on patrol around 1:28 p.m. June 30 on Canton Highway near Mineral Springs Road when he noticed a blue Toyota Prius parked on the side of the road and partially blocking half of the southbound lane.

The officer made contact with the driver, later identified as Nuzzo, who said he ran out of gas. The officer noted Nuzzo allegedly was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and blood-shot eyes and emitting a strong odor of an alcohol beverage.

"The male told me he was an off-duty deputy and that everything was okay (sic)," the officer wrote in the report.

Nuzzo, 42, who allegedly did not have a driver's license on him, provided an officer with a copy of his registration to verify his identity and who the car belonged to. While checking the car's registration, the officer said Nuzzo got out of the vehicle, leaving the driver's side door open as traffic drove by.

The officer ordered Nuzzo, a Nelson resident, to get back into the car. The former sheriff's deputy complied, but showed the Ball Ground officer his Cherokee County ID and his sheriff's office badge.

A sergeant arrived on the scene and asked Nuzzo if he had been drinking. He allegedly denied the charge and the officer asked if he would submit to a breathalyzer, which he did. The tests showed a positive result, but the officers opted not to perform a field sobriety test due to the weather, road conditions and Nuzzo wearing flip-flops at the time of the traffic stop, the report stipulates.

The office asked Nuzzo why he allegedly had been drinking, and the Nelson resident said he had a friend visiting from out of town.

"I told Nuzzo that this was not a very good excuse and that he need it (sic) to be setting a good example as a peace officer," the officer adds.

That friend, who was a passenger inside the vehicle, told officers he didn't think the former deputy was "that intoxicated." Nuzzo also told the sergeant on the scene that he opted to drive because he was more familiar with the roads.

Nuzzo was placed under arrest for DUI and was read the implied consent, which he refused. He also refused to take the state-administered test, the report adds. Nuzzo, who was transported to the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center, was released after posting a $1,318 bond. Following his arrest, he was initially placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation before resigning.

Image via Cherokee Sheriff's Office