Local TV station10 Connects is reporting via its website that a Florida DUI arrest has been made in the case of a Clearwater sheriff’s employee who was involved in a drunk driving crash. Diane Ferron was involved in a car accident on the property of the jail where she is employed Wednesday and has been charged as a result.
According to the story, Ferron was leaving the jail in her own vehicle just after 11:00 a.m. She apparently lost control of her vehicle and ended up in the lot of the Largo watershed treatment facility. In the process she crashed through an exterior perimeter fence. Deputies who responded said Ferron seemed impaired. They concluded she was not under the influence of alcohol but may have broken DUI laws by driving under the influence of drugs. According to reports Ferron admitted she was driving while on prescription medication. She failed field sobriety tests.

Ferron was not injured in the in the DUI crash and was released on her own recognizance following the booking procedure according to one report. TampaBay.com has a conflicting account saying she was still being held in lieu of $1000 bail late Wednesday. She has a pending court appearance. She was charged with misdemeanor DUI and misdemeanor DUI with property damage.
Bay News 9 is reporting Ferron was arrested in 2008 on drug charges. She was accused of doctor shopping to obtain the prescription painkiller hydrocodone. The arrest took place while Ferron was on duty. The investigation began with reports of drug activity occurring at the Pinellas County Jail.
The 42-year-old is not a sworn member of the sheriff’s office and works at the Pinellas County Jail. She was assigned to the Inmate Records Division in the Detention and Corrections Bureau. She was originally hired 20 years ago. Due to the fact that the charges are both misdemeanors, Ferron will be back at work following an internal inquiry.