Michigan: Detroit firefighter drunk on the job – nearly three times the legal limit; Hartford’s Jeffrey Vendetta rings the bell on 2nd DUI

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A Detroit firefighter who was an acting sergeant has been fired after being accused of showing up to work drunk. WXYZ-TV reports the firefighter’s captain is now under investigation, facing possible termination, for clearing the firefighter for duty even though tests show the firefighter was well above the legal limit.

Jonathan Carlson, WXYZ-TV:

“We have a zero tolerance policy,” explains Executive Fire Commissioner Edsel Jenkins with the City of Detroit.

The city says an acting sergeant showed up for work drunk—was improperly cleared for duty—and went out on a call.

After clearing the scene, a private citizen was so alarmed, they called in a report.

The sergeant was taken to a clinic for a breath test.

Nearly three times the legal limit.

A Hartford firefighter accused of driving drunk, crashing into a car in Farmington and fleeing the scene is on administrative leave and this is not the first time he’s been arrested for a similar incident, according to court records.

Farmington Police arrested Hartford firefighter Jeffrey Vendetta, 41, on Thursday night, and said he was found to be almost three times the legal limit after crashing into a car on Farmington Avenue, near the Interstate 84 on-ramp at 9:37 p.m. on Thursday.

From NBC Connecticut:

Hartford Firefighter Charged With DUI in Farmington

 Jeffrey Vendetta DWI fire
Jeffery Vendetta, a 20 year veteran of the Hartford Fire Department was arrested in Farmington for DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.

When police responded to the scene, officers found a car that had been hit from the back and sustained heavy damage. The driver was complaining of some neck pain, but did not need medical attentions, police said.

A witness told police that the driver involved left the scene and directed investigators to Brickyard Road, around four miles away, where they found a car with fresh damage to the front end.

Officers identified Vendetta as the driver, took him into custody and administered breath tests. 

The first one registered .2368 and the second registered at .2362, according to police. which is almost three times the legal limit of .08.

Vendetta was charged with driving under the influence, evading responsibility, restricted turns and following too close.

Fire officials said Vendetta, the son of retired Hartford fire captain and nephew of a current fire chief, has been with Ladder Company 6 at the South Green Station for nearly 20 years.

He was immediately placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the case, police said.

Vendetta was released on bond and is due to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Nov. 19.

This crash comes eight years after Vendetta hit a parked car on Park Road in West Hartford in November 2006, according to court records. When officers responded, they found Vendetta “passed out” behind the wheel of a van and smelling of alcohol, the records state. ….MORE

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