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Patrol trooper fired over false DUI reports

Officer was arrested after multiple arrest reports contradicted dash cam footage

By Police1 Staff

SARASOTA, Fla. — A highway patrol officer has been relieved of duty after dash cam video contradicted written DUI reports.

FHP Trooper Scott Kuntsmann, 46, was arrested for perjury after an investigation by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles determined that he fabricated arrest records and was untruthful during deposition, according to News 10 Tampa Bay.

Dash cam from 2011 shows Kuntsmann pull over Robert Culbertson, 71, and ask him a series of questions to determine if the driver had been drinking.

Culbertson admitted to having one beer three hours earlier. Kuntsmann and another officer can be heard on video agreeing they didn’t smell alcohol, but the report Kuntsmann wrote said otherwise.

In March, Kunstmann pulled over a woman and administered a field sobriety test, according to the article. He reported that she was belligerent and cussing, however the video didn’t indicate either action.

Kunstmann had been on paid administrative leave while the investigation was ongoing, according to the article. Culbertson and his attorney may file a lawsuit against the department, the report said.

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