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Pinellas deputy fired after DUI arrest

Rickey Rogers, 45, was arrested Wednesday morning during a traffic stop in Clearwater, deputies said.
 
Rickey Rogers, 45, is pictured in a booking photo after his arrest on a DUI charge in Pinellas County on Wednesday. Rogers was fired from his job as a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputy after his arrest.
Rickey Rogers, 45, is pictured in a booking photo after his arrest on a DUI charge in Pinellas County on Wednesday. Rogers was fired from his job as a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputy after his arrest. [ Pinellas Count Sheriff's Office ]
Published March 15|Updated March 15

A Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been fired after he was arrested on a DUI charge early Wednesday.

Rickey Rogers, 45, was stopped by Clearwater police near the intersection of Gulf to Bay Boulevard and Belcher Road about 2:15 a.m. after he failed to stop at a red light, according to a news release from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Rogers was off duty at the time and driving a Toyota pickup.

Rogers smelled like alcohol, showed signs of impairment and performed poorly on field sobriety exercises, according to police. He refused to provide a breath sample.

Rogers was arrested and booked into the Pinellas County Jail and released later Wednesday on his own recognizance, records show.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri fired Rogers because of a policy Gualtieri announced in 2013 stating that any employees arrested or convicted of DUI will be terminated.

Rogers was hired by the Sheriff’s Office in 2004 and worked in the Patrol Operations Bureau.