Hillsborough deputies charge son of Pinellas-Pasco state attorney with DUI

PLANT CITY — The adult son of Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe was booked into jail on a count of driving under the influence and causing property damage after an accident early Sunday, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Patrick Thomas McCabe, 24, of Largo ran a stop sign at Miley and Stanley roads, then went off the road and hit a fence about 5 a.m., arrest records say. The crash did about $1,000 damage to the fence and $1,000 damage to the Ford Taurus he was driving.

Deputies said McCabe was unsteady on his feet, smelled of alcohol, had red, watery eyes and showed signs of impairment when performing field sobriety tests. His blood alcohol level was .168 percent, more than twice the level at which Florida law presumes a driver to be impaired.

McCabe, who works at Big Lots, according to an arrest report, was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail and released Sunday afternoon after posting $500 bail.

Neither Patrick nor Bernie McCabe, who was first elected state attorney for Pinellas and Pasco counties in 1992, could be reached for comment Sunday.