DUI charge dropped against former highway patrol trooper stopped in Lexington County
A DUI charge has been dropped against a now-former South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper who was accused last year in Lexington County of DUI, according to court documents.
The trooper was arrested in August and the charge was dropped in December, according to a court document.
The trooper, who had worked with the Highway Patrol for about 4 years, was suspended without pay pending the outcome of the internal investigation by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Office of Professional Responsibility, spokesperson Kyle McGahee said.
The trooper was pulled over at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, according to an incident report shared by the sheriff’s department.
The trooper was off-duty in his personally owned vehicle when a deputy initiated a traffic stop on North Lake Drive, according to the sheriff’s department. The exact location of the traffic stop was redacted from the incident report.
The car crossed the center line and then overcorrected back over two lanes before settling into the far right lane, according to the incident report.
That was when a deputy pulled over the car and soon could smell “the odor of alcohol emanating from the vehicle” after making contact with the driver, the only person in the Ford, the incident report shows.
His eyes were glossy and bloodshot, and his speech was slurred, but the driver told the deputy he had not had anything to drink, according to the incident report. When asked why there was a stench of alcohol, the driver had no answer, and instead showed the deputy a bottle that he said was “partially filled with urine,” the incident report shows.
The alcohol stench didn’t go away after the driver got out of the car at the deputy’s request, according to the incident report. The driver then struggled when performing field-sobriety tests, the incident report shows.
He swayed and repeatedly moved his head when given an eye test, then lost his balance throughout a walk-and-turn test, according to the incident report.
“During the 9 away steps, (the driver) stepped off line and failed to touch heel to toe several times,” the deputy said in the incident report. “On the return 9 steps (the driver) continued to step off line and fail to touch heel to toe.”
The swaying continued as the driver still struggled with his balance during the one-leg stand test, according to the incident report.
“Also during his counting, (the driver) would repeat numbers and at one point started to count down before starting to count up again,” the deputy said in the incident report.
The deputy took the driver to the Lexington County Detention Center, where his breath was tested and the sample showed he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.22, according to the incident report. The legal blood-alcohol content limit in South Carolina is 0.08, according to state law.
That’s when the driver had his driver’s license suspended, and he was charged with DUI (first offense) greater than 0.16, the incident report shows.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREThis is a breaking news story
In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.
This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 2:53 PM.
