DUI case against Manatee Commissioner George Kruse dropped by prosecutors

BRADENTON, Fla. - State prosecutors have dropped the DUI case against Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse. 

He was accused of being under the influence when he crashed his truck head-on into a tree near his home in the Greyhawk Subdivision in Bradenton back in April 2022. 

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The responding deputy's report said Kruse had glassy, watery eyes along with slurred speech, but with no witnesses to the crash, they could not place him behind the wheel. 

By the time the deputy arrived at the crash scene, Kruse was sitting in the back of his wife's car. 

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The deputy did not perform field sobriety tests nor gave Commissioner Kruse a breathalyzer, according to court documents.

The Manatee commissioner was initially cited for reckless driving, because the deputy couldn't prove that he was driving at the time of the crash. 

MORE: Video shows aftermath of crash involving Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse

But, Kruse was charged with DUI two months after the crash, largely based on statements he made that night that were captured on body-camera video. 

A judge, however, ruled back in February that the jury would not be able to hear the audio on the body camera.