{"id":24805,"date":"2025-10-29T07:33:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T07:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/24805\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T07:33:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T07:33:08","slug":"florida-man-arrested-after-hitting-deputys-vehicle-failing-dui-test-authorities-say-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/24805\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida man arrested after hitting deputy\u2019s vehicle, failing DUI test, authorities say"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Brief<\/p>\n

A Bunnell man was arrested after allegedly hitting a Putnam County deputy\u2019s patrol car and fleeing the scene on State Road 100.<\/p>\n

Deputies say 42-year-old Michael Natale failed sobriety tests, had a BAC nearly twice the legal limit, and possessed a THC vape.<\/p>\n

He was charged with DUI, leaving the scene, and possession, then released on a $3,250 bond.<\/p>\n

ORLANDO, Fla. – Authorities said a drunk driver struck a deputy’s patrol car before failing a sobriety test.<\/p>\n

The alleged incident happened in Flagler County on Sunday night.<\/p>\n

Blood alcohol level almost twice the limit: Deputies<\/p>\n

What Happened<\/p>\n

A Bunnell man was arrested Sunday night after authorities said he struck a Putnam County deputy\u2019s patrol car and later failed field sobriety tests on State Road 100.<\/p>\n

According to the Flagler County Sheriff\u2019s Office, the crash happened near the county line while a Putnam County deputy was assisting a disabled vehicle.<\/p>\n

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP<\/a><\/p>\n

Deputies said a silver Ford F-150 driven by Michael Natale, 42, hit the deputy\u2019s patrol car, damaging its mirror, and continued driving.<\/p>\n

The deputy followed the truck for about a mile before it stopped. Natale reportedly fell asleep in his vehicle while waiting for Flagler County deputies to arrive. Deputies said he stumbled, smelled of alcohol, and had glassy, bloodshot eyes.<\/p>\n

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After failing field sobriety tests, Natale was arrested. Deputies said they also found a THC vape pen in his possession. Breath tests at the jail showed blood alcohol levels of 0.161 and 0.149, nearly twice the legal limit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Natale was charged with DUI with a BAC of 0.15 or higher, DUI with property damage, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, and possession of hashish. He was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and later released on a $3,250 bond after being medically cleared.<\/p>\n

\u2018Stupid and dangerous\u2019<\/p>\n

What they’re saying<\/p>\n

Sheriff Rick Staly called Natale\u2019s actions “stupid and dangerous,” adding, “I\u2019m thankful the Putnam County deputy was not injured. This is a reminder not to drink and drive\u2014or you\u2019ll visit new bars at the Green Roof Inn.”<\/p>\n

The Source<\/p>\n

This story was written based on information shared by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Brief A Bunnell man was arrested after allegedly hitting a Putnam County deputy\u2019s patrol car and fleeing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24806,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[18909,4717,28,30,29,18908,15618,18910,18912,18911],"class_list":{"0":"post-24805","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-florida","8":"tag-county-deputy","9":"tag-flagler-county","10":"tag-florida","11":"tag-florida-headlines","12":"tag-florida-news","13":"tag-michael-natale","14":"tag-patrol-car","15":"tag-sobriety-test","16":"tag-sobriety-tests","17":"tag-state-road-100"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}