A secret service agent caused a car accident the night before President Obama’s March 7 trip to South Florida and showed a possible sign of drinking, according to a police report obtained by the Washington Post.
Mathew Reyes, a counter-sniper officer, had the “slight odor” of alcohol on his breath after the accident, according to the report. The Florida State trooper who responded to the accident conducted a sobriety test, but did not find that Reyes was impaired.
The police officer conducted a pen-eye test, not a breathalyzer test, a Secret Service spokesperson told the Post.
Reyes was cited for failing to yield to oncoming traffic and causing the accident. Reyes tried to cross both lanes of traffic when exiting a parking lot, and the Dodge Caravan he was driving was struck by an oncoming truck.
Reyes and another Secret Service officer who was in the car with him were sent home from the trip, according to Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan.
“There have been no personnel actions to date,” he told the Post. “There are ongoing investigations.”
The incident in South Florida occurred a couple weeks before three Secret Serice agents were sent home from Obama’s trip to the Netherlands after a night of drinking.
