Deputies dismissed for reckless driving

Two Putnam County Sheriff's Office deputies have been dismissed after both were found to have driven at about 120 mph while responding to a complaint of noise from golf carts on New Year's Eve. One cruiser crashed.

Deputies Terry Krueger and Thomas Burger were removed from their duties following an administrative investigation into the reckless operation of their patrol cars.

Sheriff Jeff Hardy requested that the investigation be conducted as a result of information provided by concerned citizens regarding the crash of a patrol car.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Krueger, a six-year employee of the Sheriff's Office, and Burger, who had been employed by the agency for just less than a year, were responding to the noise complaint complaint on Hunter Road in Hollister.

The deputies were traveling eastbound on State Road 20 in separate vehicles. Near the intersection of State Road 20 and Twin Lake Grove Drive, east of Interlachen, Burger lost control of his cruiser, causing him spin out of control, cross a concrete median and eventually come to rest in the westbound lane of State Road 20, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The vehicle sustained about $1,000 in damage to the suspension and undercarriage.

Investigators said that at the time Burger lost control of his cruiser, his Automatic Vehicle Locator indicated he was traveling at 124 mph. Krueger's vehicle was determined to be traveling at 119 mph.

Investigators said Burger was initially following Krueger in the inside lane but had moved over into the outside lane to pass when he lost control of his vehicle. The posted speed limit in the area where the crash happened is 45 mph.

Traveling at such a high speed to a routine call for service is a gross violation of agency policy, the Sheriff's Office said.

"We are very fortunate that no one was killed or severely injured as a result of these officers' reckless behavior and lack of judgment," Hardy said. "Although accidents are often unavoidable, had these officers been operating their patrol cars at reasonable speeds, this traffic crash could have been prevented."

"We are not going to tolerate this," Undersheriff Rick Ryan said. "We put people in jail for that kind of offense."

Ryan said the evidence extracted from the AVL speaks for itself. He also said Krueger, a field training officer, had a recruit with him in the vehicle, and during the investigation, the recruit told investigators how fast Krueger was going.

Ryan said Krueger has four previous traffic incidents in which patrol cars were damaged. He denies there was any internal political motive for the firing. The lieutenant who compiled the report forwarded it without recommendation to a captain, a major, Ryan and Hardy.

They all agreed the deputies should be fired, Ryan said. They were given a pre-termination hearing to make their case, and afterward were told they would be fired.

Krueger was unhappy with the decision.

"I feel I was unjustly disciplined. I was not given fair and equal treatment," said Krueger.

Kruger said the decision was politically.

"It's an election year and Sheriff Hardy is trying to prove a point," he said.

Krueger plans on hiring an attorney and taking legal action against the department.