A firefighter has been suspended following an investigation by the Clay County Fire Rescue Monday that unearthed he did not disclose a 2015 DUI arrest to county officials, the agency said.
David A. Nettles has been placed on administrative leave following the investigation into an unrelated January 15 crash on Blanding Boulevard when the fire engine Nettles was driving was struck by a vehicle that reportedly ignored the emergency lights on his vehicle.
Two people in the car were injured in the wreck, Florida Highway Patrol reported.
Nettles was arrested in Duval County and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or chemical substance on November 11 of last year, court records show. He was off-duty at the time, but not disclosing the arrest to the Clay County Public Safety Department is a violation of the county's policies, according to Lorin L. Mock, a Clay County fire chief.
"The county takes very seriously allegations of such misconduct by its employees, and Engineer Nettles has been placed on Administrative Leave pending the outcome of an investigation into his failure to notify the county of his arrest," Mock said in an email to First Coast News.