Police Reports
Caught with their pants down
Officers working a multi-agency traffic stop about 1:00 a.m. on July 4 observed both the male driver and female passenger of an approaching Volkswagen quickly trying to pull their pants up.
When the subject rolled down the window, the officer noticed a strong smell of alcohol permeating the vehicle and the driver had red glassy eyes and slurred speech. The officer asked the driver to perform a field sobriety test in front of the patrol car, which was recorded on his in-car camera. It was apparent from the test that the driver was grossly intoxicated and he was arrested on the scene for DUI and transported to the City of Charleston BA room, where he refused to provide a breath sample and was then transported to the Charleston County Jail.
Puking in public is against the law?
Folly Beach Public Safety was dispatched to the Holiday Inn about 1:30 p.m. on July 5 in reference to an intoxicated individual who was passed out in a lounge chair next to the pool. The officer observed that the subject had thrown up all over himself and the area around his chair. When the officers woke him up, the subject could not tell them where he was staying and only knew that he got to Folly Beach in a jeep. The subject was unable to stand up and kept repeating that he had drunk too much. When he was arrested for public intoxication, the subject was cooperative and said he understood why he had to go to jail.
Call home
On July 5 about 10:00 p.m. Folly Beach Public Safety received a call about a drunk driver straddling the center line on Folly Road. They were given the description, but could not locate the vehicle. A short time later the officer received a call from County Dispatch that someone in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot was repeatedly calling 911 and asking them to place a personal phone call for him. When the officer responded he found the caller sound asleep in the same vehicle reported to have been straddling the center line a little earlier. The officer called for backup and woke the subject, who appeared to be a state of gross alcohol intoxication and unable to exercise due care for himself. A half-consumed fifth of vodka was in plain view on the floorboard in front of the driver, who was arrested for open container and public intoxication and transported to the Charleston County Jail.
Are you looking for me?
While patrolling Center Street during bar closing time around 2:00 a.m. on July 6, an officer observed an individual sitting on a bench in front of 26 Center Street drinking a Budweiser. As the officer approached, the subject tossed the beer bottle into a flower planter. Meanwhile the officer was sidetracked by a woman who flagged him down to ask a question, and while he was talking to her the subject got up and stumbled down East Erie. The officer circled the block, where he was again flagged down regarding a group of people having an argument on East Cooper when the subject came stumbling out of an alley and unwittingly walked right up to the police officer. The subject appeared to be in a state of gross alcohol intoxication and when questioned about the open container he became belligerent and started swearing at the officer. The report said the subject is known to be homeless and frequently intoxicated and was placed under arrest for public drunkenness, littering, and open container and then transported and booked into the Charleston County Jail.
Fireworks and false identification
Officers responding to a fireworks complaint on East Third Street at 3:30 a.m. on July 7 observed two subjects exiting an illegally parked car at the beach access. The subjects tried to run off, but were ordered to stop by the officer. As he approached the car, the officer observed an almost empty 1.75 liter bottle of Castillo rum in plain view on the back seat. Both subjects were holding cigars and Subject #1 had an ink pen case, which the officer said in his experience is used to hollow out a cigar so it can be used to smoke marijuana. Subject #1 produced an ID which indicated he was underage, but Subject #2 claimed to have no ID on him. Both subjects were cuffed and secured in the back seat of the cruiser. Further investigation of the vehicle revealed an empty 750 ml Crown Royal bottle, an empty mini-bottle of Jagermiester, two pipes that smelled of burnt marijuana, and subject #1’s wallet, which contained a SC drivers’ license indicating he was 18 and a fake Alabama license indicating he was over 21. While the officer was searching the vehicle, subject #1 began screaming and beating his head against the Plexiglas partition in the cruiser. Subject #2 appeared calm and did not look as though he would present a problem, so he was charged with underage possession of alcohol and released. Subject #1 was charged with underage possession of alcohol, possession of drug paraphernalia, and having a fake driver’s license and was transported to and booked into the Charleston County Jail.
Go ahead and arrest me
Folly Beach Public Safety received a report on July 9 about 8:00 p.m. that a male driver in a red Jeep had recklessly driven over some recycling bins in front of a house on East Cooper. Upon searching the area, the officer located a vehicle matching the description illegally parked on East Third Street. While he was writing a ticket, the complainant showed up and walked with the officer to the beach where she pointed out the person who had run over her recycling bins.
The officer observed the subject stumbling around on the beach with an open beer can in his hand . The subject appeared grossly intoxicated and was covered in sand from his hairline down. When the officer issued a citation for open container, the subject began a stream of unending profanity that the officer advised him to stop as there were families with children present. He continued yelling “F— you, you f—ing p—-” and other vulgarities and the officer advised him that he was going to arrest him if he did not improve his language. “Go ahead and arrest me,” he said, which the officer then did. The subject was transported to and booked into the Charleston County Jail for disorderly conduct and issued a City citation for open container.
Racial slur starts brawl
On July 9 about midnight, an officer on patrol was flagged down by some ladies who needed to get their car out of the parking lot at the fishing pier. While he was unlocking the gate for them, the officer heard shouting from underneath the pier and could tell that some sort of commotion was going on. Upon inspection, he observed a group standing around two men engaged in a brawl, trading blows and rolling around on the ground. When the officer shouted for them to separate, someone grabbed the man on top and drug him to the beachfront and the officer detained the other man, who was bleeding from his knees and elbows and appeared to be heavily intoxicated. The subject was determined to be 18 years old and in town from Georgia to attend a summer class at The Citadel. He stated the fight started because he made a racial comment to the other subject, who was black, and he started swinging on him. Both subjects were issued citations for disorderly conduct.
