ST. LUCIE COUNTY — A St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office detective has been placed on unpaid administrative leave after turning himself in on a felony warrant related to an off-duty traffic crash in Vero Beach.
Detective Tyler Horstman was involved in the crash March 2 while operating an agency vehicle, according to a statement issued Monday by St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard R. Del Toro Jr.
The Vero Beach Police Department took over the criminal investigation. The Sheriff's Office was notified Sept. 9 that blood test results showed Horstman had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.246, according to Del Toro.
The sheriff authorized an administrative investigation, and Horstman was placed on paid administrative leave Sept. 15.
On Oct. 26, the Sheriff's Office was notified that a felony arrest warrant had been issued for driving under the influence with a blood or breath alcohol level of 0.15 or higher involving serious personal injury. Horstman subsequently turned himself in to the Indian River County Jail and was placed on unpaid administrative leave under agency policy.
"The Vero Beach Police Department remains the lead investigative agency," Del Toro said. "Our internal investigation is on hold pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings."
Del Toro said the allegations raised concerns for the community and the Sheriff's Office, emphasizing that agency personnel are expected to maintain high standards of conduct both on and off duty.
"Our responsibility to uphold the law comes with an expectation that we follow it ourselves. When an employee is accused of violating that responsibility, we must address it fairly and hold them accountable through the appropriate process," Del Toro said. "The men and women of this agency work every day to earn the trust of our community, and we will continue to hold ourselves to the standards that trust requires."