Land O' Lakes Trooper Honored For DUI Arrests

For four years in a row, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper working in Land O’ Lakes area has made the most driving under the influence arrests for the agency in the state.

On March 14, the highway patrol’s Hurd-Smith Award for 2011 went to Trooper Ronald Evans Jr. Year after year, Evans, puts scores and scores of motorists behind bars during his midnight shift on charges of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, making the streets of Pasco County safer. In 2010, he made 238 DUI arrests, to be exact.

That dedication earned Evans the award twice before, first in 2004 with 300 DUI arrests in 2003 and again in 2009 for putting the cuffs on 187 impaired motorists in 2008.

“Trooper Evans did an outstanding job protecting motorists in Florida from drunk drivers,” Colonel David Brierton, director of the Florida Highway Patrol said in a prepared statement. “Removing impaired drivers from our roadways will continue to be a priority for our department, and we are proud to honor him with this well deserved award.”

While Evans was a finalist for the award in 2010 he was bested by Trooper Michael Hollis, Jr. who also works in the Land O’ Lakes area, with 203 DUI arrests in 2009. In 2008, their colleague Terry Goswick Jr. captured the award with 190 arrests in 2009.

“Pasco County has been blessed that there have been several troopers especially dedicated to DUI enforcement which as a result protects all citizens and visitors,” said Sgt. Steve Gaskins, spokesman for highway patrol’s Tampa Bay area troop. “Troopers Evans, Hollis and Goswick … have been vigilant over the years and have dedicated themselves to the enforcement of DUI laws.  Through their efforts, they have made a significant impact to Pasco County motorists in providing a safer driving environment for all.”

Gaskins said it’s not that Pasco has more impaired drivers than any other county, it’s that the troopers in the district are very dedicated.

“Pasco County does not necessarily have a higher number of DUI drivers, but more are arrested in Pasco County due directly to the efforts of members such as Trooper Ronald Evans,” Gaskins said.

In 2009 – the most recent available statistics - troopers made 942 DUI arrests in Pasco, compared to 294 in Hillsborough County.

The Hurd-Smith Award, honoring two troopers who were killed in the line of duty by drunken drivers, has been given out since 1998 to distinguish the trooper who makes the most DUI arrests for the year.

Six-year veteran, Trooper Kimberly Hurd, 26, was killed on July 16, 1992, while conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 95 in Fort Lauderdale when a passing van driven by an intoxicated driver struck and killed her. Trooper Robbie Smith, 34, a four-year veteran of the highway patrol, was killed on July 26, 1997. Smith was in his patrol car in the emergency lane of I-95 in Miami after completing a traffic stop when a speeding drunk driver struck his car from behind.

This week, the highway patrol recognized 10 other troopers from across the state for their efforts to remove impaired drivers from the roadways by making more than 100 DUI arrests in 2010.

Evans also was recently was honored by the Florida Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving during a ceremony in Orlando when he was named Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. The other 10 troopers were also honored during the ceremony recognizing the work of law enforcement officers from across the state for their efforts in apprehending impaired drivers.