A deputy with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) was arrested last week in the Florida Keys after allegedly driving under the influence with a young child in the vehicle, and it is not his first run-in with the law.
According to MCSO arrest records, 30-year-old Deputy Jesus Abdiel Rojas Burgos was driving a Nissan Kicks on U.S. 1 in the vicinity of Cudjoe Key when a fellow deputy observed him passing a cruiser at about 75 mph in a 45 mph zone. The on-duty deputy initiated a traffic stop and reported immediately smelling alcohol. On the front passenger seat, he observed a partially filled bottle of Bacardi rum. When asked, Rojas Burgos reportedly replied sarcastically that “it’s inside the car.” In addition, he confirmed the child — who was secured in a car seat — was in the vehicle, stating he was on his way to take the child home.
He initially admitted to having “a couple of drinks, but a while ago,” but then denied drinking that night. After failing multiple field sobriety tests, deputies placed him under arrest.
A vehicle search revealed additional evidence: a half-full bottle of Bacardi Black Rum on the front passenger seat, a “Beat box” beverage container in the passenger door cup-holder, and a shot glass containing a liquid consistent in smell and appearance with the rum in the center console. The deputy’s service weapon was also found in the driver-side door console.
When given a breath-test, Rojas Burgos registered a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.06 percent — below Florida’s legal limit of 0.08 percent. However, Florida law allows for DUI charges if a person’s “normal faculties” are impaired, even with a BAC under the limit. The child was turned over to the deputy’s girlfriend, and the Florida Department of Children & Families was notified.
This is not his first arrest. In March 2024, while 28 years old, Rojas Burgos was arrested in Key West on a misdemeanor battery charge following an incident at a bar on Duval Street. Court records in Monroe County show no further details regarding the disposition of that case.
He was hired by the sheriff’s office in 2023, according to MCSO. Sheriff Rick Ramsay commented in a news release that he is “committed to the public hearing about significant incidents in the Sheriff’s Office — both positive and negative — from me first.”
