A lieutenant with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office was fired early Sunday morning after she was charged with Driving Under the Influence. 

  • Pinellas lieutenant fired following DUI charge 
  • Christi Ruhtz, 41, had BAC of 0.14
  • Ruhtz served for almost 20 years

Deputies were called to Wild Acres Road near 130th Avenue in Largo after neighbors alerted police to a disturbance outside. 

When deputies arrived just before 2 a.m. they found Christi Ruhtz, 41, behind the wheel of a car honking the horn erratically while driving in reverse. 

After not performing well in a field sobriety test, she refused to submit to a breathalyzer test. She later complied as part of an employment agreement with the agency, and reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.14. The legal limit to operate a car is 0.08. 

Ruhtz is an almost 20 year veteran of the sheriff's office and was hired in December of 1998. She worked as a lieutenant in the public records processing unit.