Destin attorney arrested again days after last DUI arrest

FORT WALTON BEACH - A Destin attorney was arrested for the second time in eight days Sunday, this time for DUI, excessive speed, driving with a suspended license and refusing to take a breathalyzer test.

Robert Scott Whitehead, 38, was stopped by a Fort Walton Beach police officer just after midnight near Paradise Point shopping center downtown after he sped past a patrol vehicle, crossed the yellow line and almost struck a concrete median, according to his DUI probable cause documentation packet.

He then swerved and narrowly missed two cars, the packet said. He received four tickets and was taken to the Okaloosa County Jail about 5 a.m., according to jail officials.

He was booked and placed in the jail's new commitment housing section, according to county Corrections Director Larry Caskey.

About 10:30 a.m., a tower guard watched Whitehead tie a piece of cloth around his neck and attaching the other end to a bed railing, Caskey said.

The guard called a floor guard, who went to Whitehead's cell. Whitehead heard the guard open heavy sliding doors and untied the cloth from his neck, Caskey said.

Whitehead was moved to the medical housing unit for observation, where he remained at mid-day on Tuesday.

Whitehead's refusal to take a breathalyzer test Sunday was his third, according to the documents.

Whitehead, who lives in Destin, also was arrested May 24 after he left the scene of a traffic crash, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office news release. He had caused another crash moments earlier, the release said.

He refused to take the test after that crash. He also had difficulty finding his paperwork or his shoes and had trouble walking without assistance.

He has a June 30 court date scheduled for his latest arrest.

Whitehead's law firm specializes in civil litigation and criminal and family law, including drug cases and DUIs, according to its Web site.