Joseph Everett
Introduction
Joseph Everett is a former Haines City, Florida police officer who was fired after being arrested in Orlando on DUI and reckless driving charges while off duty — at the wheel of his department’s patrol car. An Orlando Police citation recorded a breath sample of 0.265, more than three times Florida’s 0.08 legal limit, and Haines City police confirmed within a day that Everett was no longer with the agency as a result of the incident. He had joined the department only months earlier, in July 2026.
Background Information
Everett had been with the Haines City Police Department, in Polk County between Tampa and Orlando, since July 2026 — a tenure of only a few months at the time of his arrest. The arrest happened in Orlando, roughly forty miles from the city whose marked vehicle he was driving. According to the Orlando Police citation reported by News 6, Everett was first noticed at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, 2026, and was arrested minutes later. The citation noted bloodshot eyes, an odor of alcohol on his breath, and a cooperative demeanor.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Fired after arrest. Everett’s charges — DUI and reckless driving — are accusations pending in court; the termination itself rests on the department’s judgment that the arrest violated its standards.
The breathalyzer result was the defining fact: 0.265 blood alcohol content, per the citation — a level described in local reporting as more than three times the legal limit under Florida law, where impairment begins at 0.08. Everett was in his Haines City Police Department patrol vehicle at the time, off duty, and also received a citation for having an open container in the car. He was charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving.
Haines City Police Chief Isaac Jackson said the reported conduct constituted a serious violation of the department’s General Orders and raised significant concerns regarding the officer’s judgment, professionalism, and adherence to the standards and expectations of the agency. The department confirmed shortly after the arrest that Everett was no longer with the agency as a result of the incident — a termination that arrived within roughly a day of the citation.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The case drew immediate coverage across the Orlando and Polk County media markets, with the patrol-car detail — an officer accused of reaching triple the legal limit in the vehicle he drives on duty — carrying the story. Local reports noted the discrepancy in timing details among outlets, with some placing the booking on October 17 and others just after midnight on October 18, but the core record was consistent: 0.265 breath sample, DUI and reckless driving charges, and a police department that ended the officer’s employment within a day.
Current Status
Everett has been fired from the Haines City Police Department and faces DUI and reckless driving charges in Orange County, where the arrest occurred. No trial date or disposition appears in the available record, and the department has not commented beyond confirming his separation. His prosecution proceeds like any first DUI case — but with the aggravating public fact that the vehicle was a city patrol car.
Impact on Their Career/Life
A law-enforcement career that had barely begun — four months with Haines City after prior Florida service — ended with a citation number and a chief’s public statement about judgment and professionalism. A DUI conviction would carry Florida’s administrative and criminal penalties and permanently complicate any future police certification; the fired-officer record, tied to a patrol vehicle, is the kind of entry that follows an officer across agency application processes in the state.