Body cam shows former Putnam County sheriff fail every sobriety test

New body-camera video shows a former Putnam County Sheriff failing a variety of sobriety tests.

Action News Jax first reported last week that former Sheriff Jeff Hardy was arrested for driving under the influence.

Hardy was sheriff in Putnam County for eight years.

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Volusia County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Keith Peck, who was wearing the body camera, said the Ormond Beach DUI stop was the second encounter they had with Hardy that day.

“I’m done. I’m done,” Hardy said to Peck about one minute into the video.

“No, you’re not done because this is our second time out here tonight, which means this is going to keep going on,” Peck said.

Peck said deputies already encountered Hardy earlier in the day, intoxicated, and brought him back to his brother’s house.

Then his brother, Todd Hardy, called 911.

“Jeff Hardy is insane. He grabbed my throat. And I’m done with him. We’ve already had the police here once,” Todd Hardy said to the dispatcher. “Leave my property.”

Deputies said they found Jeff Hardy behind the wheel of his truck one street over.

Hardy was barefoot in the street as he failed every sobriety test.

FULL VIDEO: Former Putnam County Sheriff arrested for DUI

“One, two, s***, three, four, five. I was home and I just pulled out of my f****** driveway,” Hardy said as he attempted to count his steps while walking in a straight line.

Hardy can be seen lightly punching Peck in the chest.

Peck instructs him not to.

Hardy gives multiple excuses for why he’s failing the tests, including having one leg that’s shorter than the other.

He later claims his leg is broken.

“Well, your leg’s not broken or you wouldn’t be walking,” Peck said.

“No, it’s f****** broken,” Hardy said.

The video shows Hardy was unable to stand on one leg without holding onto Peck’s squad car.

“This is an exercise that doesn’t require you holding onto my police car, OK?” Peck said.

“Well, I wrote the f****** book on this,” Hardy responded.

“You wrote the book on DUI?” Peck said.

“Yeah. I don’t drive and drink,” Hardy said.

Peck handcuffs Hardy minutes later, and accuses him of resisting arrest.

“You know, when you start pulling away, that’s resisting,” Peck said.

“Trust me, I’ve done this for 32 f****** years,” Hardy said.

“I’ve done it for 38,” Peck said.

Hardy refused to submit to a breathalyzer test.

Body-camera video shows deputies found a Putnam County Sheriff’s Office koozie and an open can of Miller Lite under a seat in Hardy’s truck.

They also found Hardy was driving around with his badge in the center console.

“Don’t know why he’s still carrying that around,” Peck said.

Putnam County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Hancel Woods said there is no formal policy about what retirees must do with their badges.

Woods said retirees typically get to keep their badges as mementos.

“The law enforcement officer’s badge is a representation of their authority. But it’s not – the formal authority actually comes from their credentials,” Woods said.

Action News Jax’s attempts to reach Hardy for comment were unsuccessful.

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