A high-ranking corrections officer has found himself on the wrong side of the law after, troopers said, he was driving under the influence when he caused a crash and was found sleeping inside his county-issued car.
According to FHP troopers, 50-year-old Miami-Dade Corrections chief Omar Fernandez was “slurred, mumbled and incoherent” when found following the Sunday night crash in the intersection of Southwest 88th Street and Mills Drive in Kendall.
The crash involved an SUV carrying a woman and her teen child.
The arrest report states that troopers found Fernandez sitting in his county-owned car fast asleep in the passenger seat. When he woke up, he had an “obvious odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from his mouth as he spoke and his eyes were bloodshot.”
Witnesses identified Fernandez as the driver.
The report also described how Fernandez failed every element of the field sobriety test and agreed to a breath test. But before he blew into the test, he told officers, “You know, I’m going to be under the influence, I had a couple of drinks.”
According to investigators, his blood alcohol test levels came back at “.236 and .231,” nearly three times the legal limit.
7News door knocked at Fernandez’s home on Tuesday, but a family member said they had no comment.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Fernandez has bonded out of jail, but he faces several charges, including DUI with damage to property.
In a statement, the Miami Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation Department said:
“On July 6th, the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department was notified of the arrest of civilian Division Chief Omar Fernandez on suspicion of DUI charges. In accordance with department protocol, the employee was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation. “
The police report did not mention any injuries, but Fernandez was transported to a local hospital to be checked out before being booked into the Miami-Dade County jail.