By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORLANDO. Fla. -- A 29-year-old Orange County Sheriff's deputy arrested on a DUI charge over the weekend in Brevard County has been relieved of all law enforcement duties and reassigned to administrative duties while the criminal case is underway, an Orlando-based PIO with the OCSO confirmed.
OCSO Deputy Zachary Erickson has been relieved of all law enforcement duties while the criminal case against him winds its way through the courts.
Erickson, hired in November 2016 and working in the Uniform Patrol Division (road patrol), was arrested by West Melbourne police.
Cops there said they clocked Erickson driving 79 mph in a 40 mph speed limit on Minton Road while off duty. They said he reeked of alcohol and was unsteady on his feet when asked to step out of his car.
Erickson refused to take a breathalyzer test and refused to perform field sobriety tests. He was placed under arrest and charged with drunk driving, West Melbourne police said.
West Melbourne cops said when they asked Erickson, who was described as having “slurred speech and glassy eyes,” if he’d had anything to drink, he responded he “had beers.”
Cops there said they could not release anything further on Saturday's DUI stop of Erickson while thjr criminal case against him is ongoing.
Alex Villarreal, an-Orlando-based PIO with the Orange County Sheriff's Office, confirmed Erickson's arrest on the DUI charge by the West Melbourne PD and his current status with his employer:
"This weekend, Orange County Sheriff's Office Deputy Zachary Erickson was arrested by West Melbourne Police Department on charges of Driving Under the Influence," Villarreal stated in an email media response to Headline Surfer, " adding, "Erickson was hired in November 2016 and worked in the Uniform Patrol Division. He has been relieved of all law enforcement duties and reassigned to administrative duties while the criminal case is underway."
"This weekend, Orange County Sheriff's Office Deputy Zachary Erickson was arrested by West Melbourne Police Department on charges of Driving Under the Influence," Villarreal stated in an email media response to Headline Surfer, " adding, "Erickson was hired in November 2016 and worked in the Uniform Patrol Division. He has been relieved of all law enforcement duties and reassigned to administrative duties while the criminal case is underway."
Second-generation Deputy with the OCSO
Zachary Erickson's late father, Detective First Class Michael Kenneth. Erickson, suffered a fatal heart attack on Wednesday, March 16, 2011, after responding to several high-stress calls, including an infant being shot in the face and a multiple homicide scene. The elder Erickson was 48 years old.
Detective Erickson was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had served with the Orange County Sheriff's Office for 20 years. He was survived by his wife, four children, and five grandchildren.
Another son, Jordan Erickson, is also a deputy with the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.