Hernando deputy being investigated for DUI

He noticed moments after he stumbled out of his car that two women had followed him to his home, according to a sheriff's investigation.

He thought they must've really liked him, so he tried flirting with them, said Col. Mike Maurer of the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

Moments earlier, the two women noticed a vehicle swerving off the road early Sunday morning and followed it. They were still on the phone with a 911 operator when David Feger pulled up to his house, authorities said.

They were stunned when they noticed a squad car parked in the driveway. Feger is a nine-year veteran of the sheriff's office.

"They came across him as he was coming down the road and started following him," Maurer said.

Feger was off-duty and coming home from a bar in the area of Mariner Boulevard and Spring Hill Drive, according to the sheriff's office.

Feger is on paid suspension because he is being investigated for suspicion of DUI.

Authorities showed up at his home that morning, but not until after he made it to his living room.

Drinking-and-driving suspects may still be prosecuted even if he or she isn't caught behind the wheel. In such cases witness testimony is critical. Maurer said the women in the car, along with others who saw Feger that night, will be asked to provide statements.

There are two cases against Feger — a criminal investigation involving the State Attorney's Office and an Internal Affairs investigation.

"The IA investigation will probably go into a lot more detail," said Maurer.

Assistant State Attorney Don Barbee said Wednesday the case is sitting on his desk. He planned to work on it beginning today or Friday.

Feger, a former detective, has previously been suspended three times by the sheriff's office.

In February 2003, less than a year after he was hired, Feger was suspended one day and placed on probation for 12 months, according to his personnel file.

He was accused of violating the agency's code of conduct by performing unsatisfactorily following a vandalism complaint. An IA investigator sustained the allegation, according to Feger's personnel file.

The following year he was accused three more times of violating the sheriff's office's code of conduct, but those allegations were not sustained.

In March 2010, he was suspended one day without pay for speeding to work in his agency-issued vehicle. A resident complained and a supervisor reviewed the data from the car's automatic vehicle locator, which showed he nearly doubled the speed limit along Forest Oaks Boulevard, according to personnel records.

Feger has been disciplined once before for suspicion of alcohol abuse.

In December 2008, he was sent home after three of his supervisors smelled "stale alcohol and cigarettes" on him an hour or so after he reported to work, according to the sheriff's office.

Feger said he had consumed a third of a bottle of whiskey the night before.

He was driven to a drug-screening facility and was told to turn in his credentials. The findings of his tests were not disclosed, but records show he was reinstated after the results were submitted to the sheriff's office.

"I encourage you to seek any assistance you feel may be necessary and I caution you not to allow a similar incident to occur in the future," Feger's supervisor wrote.