By: Joe Strupp Two employees of The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times -- its Tampa publisher and a community sports editor -- were arrested overnight and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, the Times reported Tuesday.
The arrests occurred in separate incidents.
Joe DeLuca, 50, the paper's Tampa publisher, was stopped at around 11:15 p.m. Monday, the Times reported, adding that he refused a blood-alcohol test and was placed in the Hillsborough County Jail on $500 bail.
"All I can say right now is that I'm sorry this happened," he told his newspaper. "I do, however, respectfully disagree with the field test assessment." DeLuca is responsible for the Times' business operations in Tampa, the story said.
Later, at about 2:35 a.m. Tuesday, community sports editor Mike Camunas, 26, was stopped and arrested after his blood alcohol level exceeded the legal limit. He was taken to the same jail and placed on a similar bail, the Times reported.
The rival Tampa Tribune also reported both stories online, but noted that De Luca declined to comment to its reporter. It added that De Luca allegedly was traveling 20 miles per hour above the speed limit and was swerving and tailgating vehicles.
The Tribune reported De Luca and Camunas were still in jail as of 8 a.m.
More than 30 years ago, then-St. Petersburg Times Editor Eugene Patterson drew accolades when he forced the paper to report his drunk-driving arrest on Page One.
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