Officer on paid leave after DUI

MILTON, Fla. (WALA) - A man hired to protect and serve could find himself off the force after being arrested for driving under the influence. The Milton police officer had been on administrative leave since being found passed out in his car. Investigators say he was apparently on medication.

"Anybody DUI out there driving can kill anyone at any minute, it only takes a second," said one citizen.

That reaction echoed throughout Milton after news broke that one of the city's police officers had been arrested at the Circle K on Quintette Road and charged with driving under the influence.

Kevin Sunday, 29, was that man, discovered by deputies in his vehicle. After failing multiple sobriety tests, he was arrested and charged with DUI - the very crime responsible for nearly a third of traffic fatalities.

"He's a member of this police department, and as such, he's expected to be responsible for his actions,” said Milton Police Chief Greg Brand.

"It's unfortunate. I hate to see that for a law enforcement officer that had a good career, but at the same time, he knows the consequences and he'll have to answer for those,” said Sergeant Scott Haines of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.

When the deputy walked up to Sunday's vehicle, he found him passed out in his driver's seat. The keys were not in the ignition, but they were in his hand, making him able to drive.

"If you have the keys in near proximity and you're behind the wheel of a vehicle, and you have the ability to start that vehicle up and leave, that's an arrestable offense," said Sergeant Haines.

Sunday has since bonded out of the Santa Rosa County jail and remains on paid administrative leave, unable to operate a city vehicle. His troubles are far from over.

"I'll be looking at whether or not I'm going to leave Officer Sunday on the pay status," said Chief Brand.

Cindy McCraney, a neighbor of Sunday’s, told FOX10 News what he said to her when she last saw him.

"'I'm on vacation' is what he told me. He told me he was on vacation from the police department, and I didn't go any further to ask him anything,” McCraney said.

The question now is whether that vacation will become permanent.