By: CRA News Service
Less than 24 hours after Boca Raton police arrested Lantana Police Chief Jeffrey “Jeff” Tyson on charges of DUI and leaving the scene of a crash, the town manager fired him.
In a letter to Tyson, Michael Bornstein said the police chief violated several personnel policies, with conduct “unbecoming of a town employee either on or off duty, which would bring discredit or interfere with the town service.”
Tyson, 51, was travelling on North Military Trail on April 4, when he allegedly rear-ended an unmarked car of a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy and then sped off, police said.
The deputy, who was not named, told police that when he stopped the Explorer, the driver was ‘confused and disoriented.’ He said when the driver got out of his vehicle he could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage when he spoke.
“What do you want? I only bumped you,” Tyson reportedly said to the deputy.
When a Boca Raton police officer arrived and asked Tyson about the crash, he told him, “I tapped him in the ass…no big deal,” according to the report.
Tyson appeared confused about where he was, even though he said he used to live in Boca Raton, the report said.
Tyson told the officer he was on Federal Highway and on the way home from his doctor.
When told he was not on Federal Highway, Tyson said he was on Congress Avenue.
He also told police that he had visited his sons at Florida Atlantic University and Boca Raton High School.
The investigating officer also said Tyson was had a “strong odor” of alcohol on his breath and began a DUI investigation. He asked Tyson to do a field sobriety test but he declined, police said.
Police arrested Tyson and took him to the Boca Raton Police Department, where the breath test was done.
The report stated Tyson provided breath samples of .229 and .234 – nearly three times the state limit for intoxication. The state legal limit is .08.
Tyson, a former Lantana police captain, has led the 28-officer department since 2010 after he replaced retired chief Rick Lincoln. He joined the department in 1999 after serving with Delray Beach and Palm Beach Shores police departments.
Commander Sean Scheller has been named acting chief.
To read more about the arrest of the police chief and for more stories, visit www.delraybeachtribune.com.