Florida Highway Patrol Officer Arrested After DUI
John Costa, a Florida Highway Patrol officer has been sentenced to 5 days in jail for failing to appear in court on October 30, 2012 for his DUI trial. As a result of Officer Costa not showing up in court, Judge Belle Schumann was forced to enter a judgement of acquittal on all charges for the motorist on trial, who has a history of drunk driving offenses. Apparently, court workers tried repeatedly to contact Costa before dismissing the case, however, Costa did not respond to any of their phone calls or knocks at his door. According to Florida Highway Patrol Captain Nancy Rasmussen, Costa could be the first patrol officer jailed for contempt of court.
Rasmussen says, “I’ve been here 22 years and I can’t remember anyone jailed for contempt of court“. This could be a potentially career-ending offense for Costa since his not showing up in court undermines a criminal investigation. The person that Costa stopped and was supposed to testify against was Stephanie Halcomb, who was stopped after he caught her driving erratically at 92 mph. When Costa stopped Halcomb, he found a bottle of 99-proof watermelon liquor that was nearly empty. Halcomb failed a series of field sobriety tests and was later found to have a .192% blood alcohol content (BAC) level. Officer Costa has had only one disciplinary action taken against him before when he hit a pole with his patrol car in an empty parking lot. Costa joined the Florida Highway Patrol in 2007 but recently notified his superiors that he intends on resigning and moving out of state.
If you have been arrested for driving drunk, contact an experienced and skilled Florida DUI attorney for legal assistance.
