Christi Ruhtz is a former Sheriff's Lieutenant with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. In March 2018, she was fired from her position hours after being arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI). ^{[1] [undefined]}

Christi Ruhtz was hired by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office in December 1998, serving 20 years with the agency before being fired after her DUI arrest. At the the time of arrest she was working in the agency's Public Records Processing Unit. ^[1]

On Sunday, March 18, 2018 Christi Ruhtz was arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI). After being charged, she was also fired from her position at the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. The incident took place in Largo, Florida, the third largest city in Pinellas County. ^[undefined]

At roughly 1:49 a.m., a person called authorities, saying a driver near the intersection of 130th Avenue and Wild Acres Road was driving in reverse while honking a horn.

When deputies arrived, they found Christi Ruhtz, the only person in the vehicle.

^[1]

Christi Ruhtz had glassy bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol, according the Sheriff’s Office. She performed poorly on field sobriety tests, according to the agency, and refused to give a breath sample for the criminal investigation. She was then forced to give one for the agency. That test showed blood alcohol levels of 0.14 and 0.13, deputies said which is well above the state's impairment bar of 0.08. ^[1]

Ruhtz was taken to Pinellas County Jail and released on her own recognizance. She was immediately terminated, in line with Pinellas County Sheriff's Office policy. ^[1]