- December 4, 2025
A Daytona Beach Police Department officer was arrested on Oct. 9 in Flagler County while driving under the influence.
DBPD Officer Edward Lee, 35, crashed his pickup truck into a light pole just after midnight at the McDonalds on Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, according to his arrest report. He is facing a second degree misdemeanor DUI charge and refused to provide a breath sample to Flagler County Sheriff's Office deputies, which is an additional first degree misdemeanor.
Lee, a DBPD officer since May 13, 2018, has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal review, a press release from the DBPD said. Lee was off-duty at the time of his arrest.
"This type of behavior is not representative of the values of the Daytona Beach Police Department, and the officer will be held accountable in accordance with departmental policy and the law," the press release said.
Overnight on Oct. 8, near midnight, FCSO dispatch received a 911 call that a silver Nissan Titan was driving reckless across the road, jumping onto the curb and driving into the McDonald's parking lot on Old Kings Road. When FCSO deputies arrived, the pickup truck's front end had hit a light pole and Lee was the only occupant of the vehicle.
Lee told deputies that a woman had been driving the truck at the time of the crash but had gone inside the restaurant for food. A witness said Lee was the one driving the truck when it crashed, the report said.
The FCSO deputies who responded noticed Lee had bloodshot eyes, smelled of alcohol and had slurred speech. They asked Lee to perform a field sobriety test on scene, and he refused.
Lee was placed under arrest and at the jail he was asked to to provide a breath sample for a blood alcohol test, which Lee also refused.
Because of "Trenton's law," or House Bill 687, which went into effect on Oct. 1, a first refusal to provide a breath sample is now a misdemeanor charge. The law tightens penalties DUI and Boating Under the Influence violations.
Lee's administrative leave is in accordance with DBPD's department policies and standard procedures, the press release said. The FCSO will be handling the criminal investigation and "the Daytona Beach Police Department will remain in full cooperation with their agency throughout the duration of their investigation."
