GBN file photo Shannon L. Jacobs' blood-alcohol level registered .160 on an intoxilizer test. He faces two DUI-related counts. The administrator of the Santa Rosa County Health Department is free on bond after crashing his luxury car head-on into an oncoming truck Saturday, June 20 on J. Earle Bowden Way east of Opal Beach.

Shannon L. Jacobs, 34, of Navarre, was arrested by National Parks Ranger Melissa Lanshe and charged with a third-degree felony of Criminal Mischief with Property Damage Exceeding $1,000. He also was charged with two first-degree misdemeanors for first-offense Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of Alcohol and DUI with property damage.

Jacobs also was ticketed for failure to maintain a single lane of traffic. He was released on $7,500 bond and faces a July 10 Circuit Court date.

A third-degree felony is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison. Misdemeanors are punishable by up to a year in jail.

According to an initial Escambia County arrest report, Jacobs was driving eastbound on Bowden Way at approximately 3:50 p.m. Saturday when his Infiniti automobile crossed the double-yellow line and collided head-on with a westbound Dodge pickup driven by James Hering, 42, of Gulf Breeze. Jacobs was alone in his car; Hering was accompanied by his children, ages 4 and 13.

"There's no indication in preliminary report that either vehicle was speeding," said Clay Jordan, Chief Ranger of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. "In fact, we believe that Mr. Hering hit the brakes and had managed to slow down his vehicle considerably prior to the collision."

There were no injuries, and both parties refused medical treatment.

A message left Monday by Gulf Breeze News on James Hering's home phone was not immediately returned.

An Escambia Sheriff's deputy who was first on the scene administered two field sobriety tests on Jacobs that revealed his blood-alcohol level to be .160 and .149, twice the legal limit of .08 for the state of Florida.

Jacobs was taken to Escambia County Jail in Pensacola, where he was processed and released on bond. Jordan said the case will be prosecuted through the state as part of protocol that reduces the number of cases that go through the federal court system.

Jordan also said the National Park Service's official accident report still was being compiled Tuesday and would not be available for release to the public until late Wednesday afternoon.

It's unclear how the accident and charges might affect Jacobs' job status. He joined the Santa Rosa County Health Department (SRCHD) in 2007 after previously serving as the statewide services director of the Florida Department of Health. He rose to the position of SRCHD Administrator in February 2008.

A SRCHD operator who took a phone call from Gulf Breeze News on Tuesday said Jacobs was unavailable to take questions this week. A voice message to the department's Administrative Assistant was not immediately returned prior to Gulf Breeze News' press time.