The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
Earlier this month, a Kentucky State Police trooper who was recently named Trooper of the Year at his post was suspended from his job after being charged with a DUI.
The 25-year-old trooper had been employed with the agency for two years and was also recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving after authorities said he arrested 34 impaired drivers in 2025. He was suspended as the investigation into his own case continued.
The charge came from an incident that occurred in Hardin County. The trooper was off duty and using his personal vehicle when a civilian contacted the authorities after reportedly seeing him asleep behind the wheel at a gas station. The officers had to knock on the vehicle’s window several times before he woke up.
According to court documents, the trooper told the police he had attended a golf tournament earlier that day and did not know how long he had been asleep at the gas station. Court documents said the authorities found a partially empty beer can inside his pickup and detected the smell of alcohol on his breath.
The trooper reportedly agreed to perform field sobriety tests, and court documents said the authorities observed multiple signs of impairment. He also voluntarily submitted to a breath test, which recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.083 percent. Kentucky’s legal limit is 0.08 percent.
He was taken into custody and charged with DUI and possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in a motor vehicle. He was released shortly after the arrest, but authorities brought him back into custody four days later, after determining he had been inadvertently released. He then posted a $1,000 bond and was released again.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a DUI offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.