A Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Sunday on suspicion of driving drunk and pulling a gun on a Jack in the Box employee while off duty, police said.
According to the Santa Clara Police Department, officers were called to the fast food franchise at 911 El Camino Real around 2:40 a.m. on reports of an altercation between an employee and a drive-thru customer, identified as Benjamin Lee.
Lee was charged with allegedly brandishing a firearm and driving under the influence of alcohol, police said. The sheriff’s deputy, who has been placed on administrative leave, was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail and released later the same night.
It is unclear if the firearm used in the alleged incident was Lee's service weapon.
The Santa Clara Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation while the Sheriff’s Office is conducting its own internal investigation into the allegations.
"We were saddened by the news," said Roger Winslow, vice president of the Deputy Sheriff's Association of Santa Clara County. "Behavior like this from anyone is unacceptable."
The embattled Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office has made headlines recently after a report showed that 22 correctional deputies have been terminated and 27 others suspended in the past six years. Inmates at the troubled jail also have apparently filed 300-plus excessive force complaints against guards in the last five years.
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Meanwhile, three correctional deputies have been charged with murder in connection with the beating death of a mentally ill inmate, Michael Tyree.