Off-duty SC police officer was charged with DUI after crash. Now he’s out of a job

A South Carolina police officer who was charged with DUI after a crash has resigned from the police department.

The Charleston Police Department said Friday that Steven Burgess resigned from the agency amid an internal affairs investigation into Burgess’ arrest on a DUI charge after a two-car crash in Dorchester County, according to a tweet posted to the department’s page.

Police say Burgess, an eight-year veteran of the force, was off duty and driving his personal vehicle when the crash happened.

The police department said shortly after the crash that dispatch had received a call about a Charleston police cruiser “driving erratically” on Highway 61. Officers determined it was likely Burgess but were unable to locate him.

“By all accounts, it appears Burgess drove to his Dorchester County residence, parked his police unit and drove away in his personal vehicle,” a statement from the police department read. “He was subsequently involved in a two car collision on Highway 61 near the Legend Oaks subdivision.”

No injuries were reported.

Burgess was charged by the S.C. Highway Patrol after the Dec. 21 crash, the police department said. He was placed on administrative leave after the collision but submitted his resignation Thursday.