A Cass County sheriff’s deputy who was arrested this past August for driving under the influence of alcohol has been fired.
In a termination letter, Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner outlined how former deputy Jacob Danielson had been arrested by the Fargo Police Department for DUI with his minor children in the vehicle with him. The vehicle Danielson had been driving had struck another car near a car wash, and no injuries were reported. Danielson was placed on administrative leave, and an internal investigation began.
Jahner also stated in his letter that other deputies had been arrested for DUI in the past, but the circumstances with Danielson’s repeated behavior warranted a different response.
"Obviously, these are very difficult decisions that we have to make, and any time you have to terminate an employee it's not an easy thing to do. With this one, of course, there were many reasons as I stated in the statement I provided. The biggest I think was the pattern of behavior, and of course during this time more than ever we need to maintain professionalism and be accountable for our actions. And most importantly, we just need to maintain trust from our community as well."
Danielson had been employed by the Cass County Sheriff’s Office with no issues before working at the West Fargo Police Department. Jahner said in his statement the Sheriff’s Office takes responsibility for not knowing about some disciplinary issues Danielson had while working in West Fargo before hiring him back at the Sheriff’s Department.
Jahner says the department is focused on moving forward.