A senior member of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department was fired after being arrested over the weekend in South Carolina.
According to a news statement issued by the sheriff’s department on Monday, Christopher Duke, major of the Uniform Patrol Division, was charged with DUI following a traffic encounter.
According to the announcement, a trooper with the South Carolina Highway Patrol stopped the 45-year-old Duke around 7 p.m. on Saturday. According to the sheriff’s department, the traffic stop was performed after Duke was accused of speeding.
Duke was off duty and driving his own automobile when he was stopped over, according to the announcement. There was no information available regarding the location of the traffic stop.
Duke was transferred to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and charged with DUI (first offense, less than.10), according to the sheriff’s department. According to Richland County court records, Duke paid a $992 bond, and the Elgin resident is not now on the jail’s inmate registry.
Duke was set to appear in traffic court on Monday, according to judicial records.
Duke, a 22-year sheriff’s department veteran, was immediately suspended without pay following his arrest and is no longer working there, according to the announcement.
Duke resigned after his suspension, Deputy Chief Maria Yturria told The State on Monday. Despite his resignation, Duke remains the director of the uniform section, according to the sheriff’s department website.
