Sunstar EMT drove 100 mph on Ulmerton Road, faces DUI charge, deputies say

Jack Evans, Tampa Bay Times
·1 min read

LARGO — A former Sunstar Paramedics emergency medical technician faces a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence after deputies say he was impaired when he drove his personal vehicle at more than 100 mph in a 45 mph zone on Ulmerton Road.

Menachem Jessurun, 28, was pulled over just after midnight Tuesday at the intersection of Ulmerton Road and Starkey Road, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Jessurun’s eyes were bloodshot and glossy, deputies wrote in the arrest report, and he swayed and showed signs of impairment while performing a field sobriety test.

A Breathalyzer exam showed that his blood-alcohol content level was 0.172 and 0.159, according to an arrest report. Florida law presumes a driver is impaired at 0.08 or greater.

Sunstar Paramedics is contracted to provide ambulance services for Pinellas County. Jessurun worked for Sunstar for just over a year and drove an ambulance as part of his job, said Sunstar chief operating officer John Peterson. Jessurun had no disciplinary record at work and resigned Wednesday, Peterson said. The company declined to comment further.

Jessurun was released from the Pinellas County Jail later Tuesday after posting $500 bail. He declined to comment on Wednesday, citing an ongoing investigation.

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