Florida Corrections Officer Flashes Badge Before DUI Arrest

Around 2:32 AM on May 18, 2023, Deputy Thomas Newton III with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disorderly conduct call near North Keene Road and Coastal Place in Dunedin, Florida. The caller had advised dispatch that a female subject in a black Dodge Charger was threatening to run him over. As Deputy Newton arrived on scene, he noticed that a 2022 Dodge Charger matching the witness description was parked in the shoulder and a visibly impaired female was sitting in the driver’s seat. The driver was identified as 35-year-old female Melissa Stachelsky. Immediately as he approached her vehicle, Melissa showed Deputy Newton her badge indicating that she was a corrections officer with the State of Florida.

Melissa advised the Deputy that she was the in area from another town in Florida, and that the male complainant was visiting from New York. She also told the Deputy that she had gotten into an argument with him before they were called to the scene. The male complainant told the Deputy that they had previously been in a romantic relationship. No additional charges resulted from this incident. However, Deputy Newton did suspect that Melissa was impaired so he asked her to exit the vehicle to perform some field sobriety exercises. After providing the Deputy with some additional information, Melissa agreed to do the field sobriety exercises.

The first exercise was the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, and Deputy Newton observed a lack of smooth pursuit, distinct and sustained nystagmus at maximum deviation, and the onset of nystagmus prior to 45 degrees. The second exercise was the Walk and Turn test. During the Walk and Turn test, Melissa took 9 steps as instructed, but she used her arms for balanced and turned improperly. The third field sobriety exercise was the One Leg Stand test. During the One Leg Stand test, Melissa failed to raise her foot in the proper fashion while displaying a lack of balance.

Based on her admission to consuming alcohol in the hours prior and her inability to adequately perform the field sobriety exercises, Deputy Newton determined that Melissa was impaired by alcohol and placed her under arrest for driving under the influence. After Melissa was placed under arrest, her vehicle was searched and Deputies located a prescription medication in her vehicle. Her vehicle was impounded by Clearwater Towing, and Melissa was transported without incident to the Central Breath Testing (CBT) facility at the Pinellas County Jail.

At the Pinellas County Jail, Melissa consented to submit breath samples for testing. Deputy Danielle Zsido administered the Intoxilyzer machine, and her results indicated that Melissa was over the legal limit of 0.08% with a BAC of 0.127%. After a mandatory holding period at the Pinellas County Jail, she was released pending her court appearance after Deputy Newton issued her a citation for driving under the influence.

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