When a person is accused of committing a crime, the government has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person actually performed the illegal act in question. As such, a solid criminal defense plan can be the key to preventing the government from convincing a jury that it has met its burden of proof.
This is true even for a person who is used to being the one who arrests others, as opposed to being arrested himself. A South Carolina Highway Patrolman was recently taken into by a Columbia police officer for being drunk and disorderly. As a result, the 12-year veteran of the state law enforcement agency found himself jobless inside of three days.
The patrolman allegedly acted rowdy in a parking lot following an Eric Church concert. Columbia police, who were trying to disperse a large post-concert crowd, said the patrolman was being loud and was having trouble walking. Police say they asked him to move, but instead of complying, he gave them his middle finger.
That alleged action sealed his fate, and he was placed under arrest. Reports purport that the patrolman did not cooperate with the arrest, which ended up taking several police to complete.
The patrolman was a decorated officer, having received an award for making a high number of drunk driving arrests in 2011.
Upon finding out that the arrested man was a law enforcement agent, the Columbia Police Department notified the man's superiors.
He was suspended the next day. Then, after an abbreviated investigation by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety's Office of Professional Responsibility, he was terminated.
There is no word as to whether the criminal charges against him are still pending.
Source: The State, "SC Highway Patrolman fired after arrest by Columbia police," Noelle Phillips, Dec. 5, 2012
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