Former Lafayette County Sheriff Dewayne Walker, 49, was charged with DUI in May of 2008 after being pulled over for driving 27 miles over the speed limit. According to Suwanee County court records, this offense was his third DUI and he had already been removed from office twice for public drunkenness.
Walker allegedly refused alcohol tests and refused to sign the traffic citation. Inevitably he was charged with felony DUI, but earlier this week under a plea settlement accepted on Wednesday, Walker walked with just a misdemeanor.
As part of his plea deal for this third DUI, walker has been mandated to use a breath-test Ignition Interlock Device to start his vehicles.
Walker was sentenced to a year of probation, house arrest for 45 days, and six months of a revoked license. He must also finance the Ignition Interlock Device for his vehicle.
During Walker's third term as sheriff, in August of 2002, it first became public that Walker had a drinking problem. At the time, Jeb Bush was governor, and suspended Walker from his $88k position as sheriff because of the multiple incidents related to Walker's public drunkenness and alcohol problem.
After a 30-day alcohol rehab program, Bush reinstated Walker as sheriff on March 22, 2003. Walker was suspended for a second time by Bush only 4 weeks later, after he was arrested in Tampa for DUI.
