Tampa reserve officer arrested on DUI charge after crash, police say

A 55-year-old Tampa reserve police officer is facing a charge of driving under the influence after he was involved in a vehicle collision Wednesday afternoon, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Timothy Kent at the crash scene, located at Causeway Boulevard and Providence Lakes Boulevard in Brandon, around 1 p.m., Tampa police said in a news release.

Kent had been driving his personal vehicle, a Hyundai SUV, when he was involved in a rear-end collision with a white Toyota, police said. No one was injured. Information about the extent of the crash and how it happened were not included in the release.

Deputies suspected Kent was impaired and conducted a DUI investigation, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Kent’s blood alcohol level was measured at .234% and .240%, Tampa police said. The legal blood alcohol limit for a driver in Florida is .08%.

Kent was booked into a Hillsborough County jail at 1:53 p.m. on a charge of driving under the influence with property damage.

A reserve police officer provides additional personnel for special events and during emergencies, according to the city of Tampa’s government website. Reserve officers are volunteers.

Kent has been suspended from his work as a reserve officer, Tampa police said. He began volunteering at the department as a reserve officer on July 31, 2005.

This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.