A Palm Beach County's Sheriff's Office employee has been arrested for DUI and possession of cocaine, after crashing his truck late Saturday night.
Mark McDonald, unit manager for the forensic identification division, is charged with DUI, possession of cocaine and possession of paraphernalia.
Investigators say shortly after 11:30 p.m. Saturday, McDonald crashed a white truck he was driving into a small concrete gatehouse at the Marina Bay community in Lantana.
When deputies arrived, they say "the male (McDonald) would not get out of the car but was speaking slightly but seemed incoherent."
That's when deputies noticed "a burnt glass pipe commonly used to smoke crack with directly under where he was sitting in the driver's seat."
The investigator went on to say: "I could tell by looking at the male he had signs of impairment, his eyes were glassy ... he had difficulty standing on his own."
Deputies then "found several small white pieces of rock-like substance" inside McDonald's front pocket which tested positive for crack cocaine.
"McDonald advised that he had been drinking vodka a few hours ago. McDonald could not advise how many drinks he had but stated it was more than one," according to his arrest report.
According to the report, the passenger in the truck said they were on Interstate 95 when McDonald said "everything turned blurry." She said at one point she had to grab the wheel to avoid a crash.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office says McDonald is currently on administrative leave with pay. They say McDonald has been employed with the agency since Dec. 1, 1987.
When asked for comment, a spokesperson said: "The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office holds its employees to the highest standards and never forgets about its duty to preserve the public’s trust. Unfortunately sometimes an employee makes a bad decision which leads to misconduct. This misconduct was investigated, resulting in the charges. The sheriff’s office will remain vigilant to ensure that our efforts are professional and meet the high standards that the public has come to expect."
#BREAKING: A PBSO employee has been arrested for DUI/ possession of cocaine, after crashing his truck early Sunday morning. Mark McDonald, a forensic identification unit manager, is charged with DUI, possession of cocaine, and possession of paraphernalia. @wptv#wptv
— Sam Smink (@samsminkWPTV) July 23, 2018
