A Douglas County deputy was recently fired for allegedly being intoxicated on the job. According to Springfield television station KYTV, Sheriff Chris Degase says 30-year-old Jesse Lafferty was driving drunk Friday when he crashed his patrol car a few miles northwest of Ava.
Lafferty had been with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office less than a month when he was on duty late Thursday night. Sheriff Degase had called him back to the office in Ava. Lafferty later called a dispatcher and said he had crashed his car, but he didn't know where he was. His wife also called the dispatcher and said she had spoken with him and was trying to determine his location.
Lafferty was later found by another deputy, and his patrol car was in brush and trees near Route K at Highway 14. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Lafferty failed to stop at a stop sign, ran off the road and struck multiple trees. He was not wearing a seatbelt.
Sheriff Degase says when he arrived at the scene, he could tell Lafferty was under the influence of alcohol. Lafferty was taken back to the sheriff's office, and a blood alcohol test determined he was intoxicated. Degase terminated Lafferty's employment and placed him under arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and other offenses, and he was transferred to the Ozark County Jail to sober up. Lafferty was later transported by ambulance to a Springfield hospital and treated for minor injuries.
KYTV reports online court records currently don't show any charges filed by the Douglas County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
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