WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | HP: Orangeburg deputy crashed patrol car while drunk
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Robert Ayers (Source: Orangeburg County Detention Center)By Logan Smith - email
ORANGEBURG, SC (WIS) - Officials say an Orangeburg County deputy was drunk when he crashed a patrol car while off-duty Wednesday night.
Department of Public Safety spokesman Sid Gaulden said Deputy Robert Ayers is charged with driving under the influence for the wreck, which happened on Cattle Creek Road in Orangeburg County.
A South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper responded to a single-car accident around 10:00pm, according to Gaulden, and found an Orangeburg County Sheriff's Department patrol car in the ditch.
The Highway Patrol said they conducted a field sobriety test on Ayers, which he failed before refusing to take a breathalyzer test.
Ayers was taken to the Orangeburg County Detention Center. He has since posted bond and was released.
Ayers' boss, Sheriff Larry Williams, said Ayers has been removed from duty pending an administrative review. The review is expected to last until Saturday.
"Deputy Ayers will not enjoy any special privileges," Williams said. "He will be dealt with as any other person allegedly driving under the influence."
Ayers is the second South Carolina law enforcement officer to be charged with DUI in as many days. A Charleston police officer was arrested Tuesday after officials say he hit a parked car and left the scene over the weekend.
The arrests come as authorities try to combat holiday drunk driving and other traffic violations with checkpoints and increased patrolling on New Year's Eve.
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