Pinellas deputy suspended one day over traffic stop

Pinellas sheriff's Sgt. John Daniels has been suspended for one day after pulling over two Pasco deputies in September and letting them go even though he knew they had been drinking.

Daniels, who has almost 30 years on the force, served the suspension Saturday.

In the Sept. 21 stop, Daniels spotted a Dodge Charger driving 98 mph and weaving around other cars in a no-passing zone on Keystone Road in Tarpon Springs. By the time he caught up, the Charger was stopped at an intersection and the passenger was standing outside the door urinating.

Jose Berrios was in the driver's seat with glassy eyes and breath smelling of alcohol, Daniels wrote in his report. Berrios identified himself and his passenger, Kurt Hentschel, as Pasco deputies. Berrios told him they'd been out drinking.

Daniels asked Berrios whether he would like to take a breath test; the Pasco deputy declined, Daniels' report said. Daniels went no further with the investigation -- no Breathalzyer, no field sobriety tests -- and let the deputies call for a ride home.

Berrios was initially placed on desk duty, then fired in October. A Pasco spokesman said Berrios' actions that night caused Sheriff Bob White to lose confidence in the deputy's ability to do his job.

Hentschel, who returned to regular duty, is still under an internal affairs investigation.

In a Pinellas Sheriff's Office memo, Daniels was found to have violated the sheriff's general order regarding performance of duty.

Molly Moorhead, Times Staff Writer

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