Ga. deputy arrested, fired after showing up to work drunk, sheriff says
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A longtime Spalding County deputy was arrested on a DUI charge and fired after he showed up to work intoxicated Wednesday night, according to the sheriff’s office.
Sgt. Andrew Degler reported to work at 7 p.m. “and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol,” Sheriff Darrell Dix said in a press release Thursday.
Dix said Degler was given a preliminary breath test, which came back positive for alcohol.
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Degler was immediately fired, arrested for DUI and had his blood drawn to determine his blood alcohol content.
Dix said Degler had been with the sheriff’s office for nearly 12 years.
The sheriff said each deputy he hires, “whether in enforcement or in detention, receives the same blunt talk” from him when he swears them in.
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“I warn them not to do dumb stuff and think that their badge will get them out of it, because it won’t,” Dix said.
Dix added that he was proud of how Degler’s fellow deputies handled the difficult situation.
“If you, a family member, a friend, or co-worker is struggling with alcohol or substance abuse, please get help,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “If you wait, it will be too late. It will eventually cost you or someone else their job, their family, or a life. A drink or a drug is just not worth it.”
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