Newberry promotes new Interim Fire Chief after DUI arrest and resignation of Mike Vogel, introduces new Building Department staff

BY DAVID LIGHTMAN

NEWBERRY, Fla. – Newberry Fire Chief Mike Vogel tendered his resignation on Monday, February 24, after being arrested for suspicion of DUI in Ocala on Sunday, and Interim City Manager Dallas Lee promoted newly-hired Deputy Chief Jason Lyman to the position of Interim Fire Chief on Tuesday. At their February 24 meeting, the Newberry City Commission met four new Building Department staff members, allaying fears that the Building Department was in a state of disarray due to a staff shortage, and Chris Mack of Newberry Main Street gave a report on the recent Newberry Blues and Barbecue Festival.

An Ocala Police Department officer responded to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday, investigating a report of a drunk driver. The caller described a white male inside a white Chevy Tahoe truck with a “Life Quest” sign on the vehicle. The caller said the man was employed by an organ transportation company, and he was slurring his speech and appeared intoxicated. The officer made contact with Vogel, who was reportedly seated in the driver’s seat. 

The officer reported that Vogel exited the vehicle and “had his right hand on the door to support him for balance. Vogel had extremely slurred speech, glassy eyes, flush skin, and I could smell the strong odor of alcohol.” The officer reported that Vogel swayed after being asked to stand on his own and indicated that he did not have any medical conditions affecting his balance; he reportedly said he had consumed no alcohol. 

The officer spoke to Vogel’s Life Quest co-worker, who is a law enforcement officer out of Georgia. The co-worker reportedly said he had just met Vogel that day, and when Vogel arrived, he immediately walked toward him and hugged him. The co-worker said he could smell alcohol and that Vogel appeared intoxicated. The co-worker said he called his boss, but Vogel left the hospital in the truck and headed to a local Wawa, where he was contacted by a Life Quest supervisor and told to return to the hospital to speak with the police.

The officer reported, “I later observed five full 50ml bottles of vodka in the foliage directly behind Vogel’s vehicle [and] four more empty bottles of the same substance approximately 10 feet west of where the full bottles were located.”

Vogel reportedly refused to perform field sobriety exercises and was charged with driving under the influence. He was transported to the Marion County Jail, where he reportedly refused to provide a breathalyzer sample to determine his level of intoxication. He was issued a DUI citation.

Alachua Chronicle reached out to the Newberry Fire Department, and we were told that Vogel tendered his resignation on Monday and Interim City Manager Dallas Lee promoted recently-hired Deputy Chief Jason Lyman to Interim Fire Chief on Tuesday. Lyman was introduced to the Commission just two weeks ago at the February 10 meeting. He was most recently employed at the Islamorada Fire Department in the Florida Keys.

During the presentations portion of the February 24 Regular Meeting, Director of Community Development Stacey Hectus introduced four new members of the Building Department. Hectus said, “Just a few short months ago, we didn’t have many people hanging out in our Building Department, and in just a few short months, we now have a full staff again… So on January 27th of this year, we were a fully-staffed Building Department. I’d like to introduce Ashley Monk, she’s our Permit Tech I. I’d like to introduce Michael Booth, he’s our Permit Tech II. We have [Building Inspector] Tony Carpenter, which many of you already know; he was in our Facilities Department. And then we have the wonderful David Meyer, here as our new Building Official. David and I have a little history from Levy [County], so it was a great and easy transition.”

During the public comment period, Chris Mack of Newberry Main Street talked about the second annual Newberry Blues and Barbecue Festival, held on Saturday, February 22. Mack said, “It was an absolute success. I’m here to thank the City Commission and a ton of the City workers. The support that you gave us, the great volunteers that you gave us, just the participation in general. We appreciate it. We cannot do it without the support of the City. We feel completely supported. You guys are awesome, and I just want to thank each and every one of you for all of your help and support… This is only our second one, so every year we’re going to make this a little bit better, but it was excellent. It was a great time.” Mack said attendance was just over 10,000, even with less-than-ideal weather conditions in the morning.