Pilot sues South Dakota cops who administered his failed breathalyzer test

A former SkyWest pilot filed a federal defamation lawsuit Tuesday against the two South Dakota police officers who arrested him for failing a breathalyzer test, saying he has been unable to find work since the 2016 incident despite being cleared by a blood test.

According to his complaint, Russell Duszak says Transportation Safety Administration officers reported him to airport police at Rapid City Regional Airport on Oct. 26, 2016, after an agent reported she "may have smelled the odor of alcohol" on a pilot going through security.

Less than 15 minutes later, Officer Paul Hinzman boarded Duszak's aircraft and entered the cockpit, where the Duszak was in the co-pilot seat performing pre-flight checks.



"Mr. Duszak was alone on the flight deck and functioning in his assigned capacity, as First Officer of the aircraft, with zero impairment," the complaint states, adding that Hinzman escorted him off the plane to a private room for questioning.

Duszak, a Utah resident, claims Hinzman never performed any field sobriety tests prior to detaining him, reporting only that he detected a slight odor of alcohol and redness in the pilot's eyes. The pilot says that he requested a blood test immediately upon being detained but was denied.

At that point, he says Hinzman called for backup and Officer Jerred Younie responded, arriving at around 10:48 a.m. CST, two-and-a-half hours into Duszak's detention.

SOURCE : usatoady