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Local NewsSheriff's Deputy Charged with Driving DrunkBy Shelley Walcott
MILWAUKEE - An off-duty Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputy was arrested for drunk driving Wednesday morning in Wauwatosa. Scott Kuhtz, 46, was not in uniform but was carrying his duty weapon at the time.
It all started during the morning rush hour.
Mike Schmidt was on his way to work, when he saw a man in a blue Toyota Highlander, weaving across the road. "Well, I gave him the benefit of the doubt," said Schmidt. "I thought maybe he dropped his cell phone or was writing something down."
But the driver continued to drive erratically, so Mike called 911 for help.
Schmidt stayed on the line with the dispatcher has he followed the Highlander, to let police know where the driver was headed. During that time, Schmidt says he watched the Highlander continue to swerve around the road.
Wauwatosa police finally caught up to the driver. They say he identified himself as Scott Michael Kuhtz, a Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputy. After Kuhtz handed over his revolver, police performed sobriety tests, which he failed.
Kuhtz was arrested and charged with OWI, and Going Armed While under the Influence of Alcohol. Schmidt says he was glad to help get this suspected drunk driver off the street: "He's out there arresting everybody else, and he should be held up to a higher standard."
Kuhtz is currently suspended without pay pending an internal investigation. He has been with the department for 19 years.
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