Lamar Police Officer charged with DUI
Lamar Police Department Officer Jay Russell has been charged for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) while on duty the night of March 29.
S.C. Highway Patrol troopers responded to a call from the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office reporting that Russell seemed impaired. Troopers found Russell in his patrol car on Windham Street in Lamar and administered a field sobriety test, but Russell refused to take a breathalyzer test. Russell was then arrested and taken to the Darlington County Detention Center where he bonded out.
Lamar Police Chief Jason Chaney told the News and Press that following the incident, Russell was immediately placed on administrative leave without pay. A disciplinary board meeting with Chief Chaney and members of Lamar Town Council was held the afternoon of April 3 to discuss further action. The disciplinary board, including Chief Chaney, Mayor Randy Reynolds and Mayor Pro Tem Jackie Thomas ruled that Russell be released from the LPD for violation of department policies.