A deputy sheriff is without a job after the Highway Patrol arrested him for DWI while driving a county cruiser.

Pender County Deputy William Paluck was arrested this morning in Onslow County on Highway 17 after dispatch centers began getting phone calls about a cruiser operating in an unsafe manner on the highway.

Highway Patrol First Sgt. Jeff Gordon says the accident happened around 7:45 a.m. near the intersection with Old Maplehurst Road, outside of Jacksonville. He says Paluck was in uniform and his cruiser rear-ended another car.

Paluck was taken to Onslow Memorial Hospital where blood was drawn. Those in the other vehicle were not injured.

The Pender County Sheriff's Office says Paluck, who was a school resource officer at Topsail Middle School, was fired after his arrest. In addition to DWI, the deputy was charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid colliding with a vehicle and reckless driving.

He has a September 18th court date.