Brave Drug Warrior Defects; Charged with DUI

If one was to guess who is the biggest drug dealer in South Carolina, I would imagine it is the state government. They sell alcohol and tobacco, two of the most popular recreational drugs in America. Narcotics Officer Tommy Mangum of Chesterfield County, SC Sheriff’s Department is employed by the government. His job is to enforce laws punishing people who prefer drugs that compete with the drugs sold by the state. He was reportedly arrested for DUI at 3:33 a.m. on May 3, 2009.

It was reported that the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Department responded to a call from an individual driving behind Officer Mangum who allegedly observed him driving “all over the road.” According to reports, after being pulled over Mangum still had the judgment to refuse to give a breath sample. He was subsequently placed under arrest and taken to the Chesterfield County Detention Center.

Mangum’s boss Chesterfield County Sheriff Sam Parker was “devastated and shocked” by the reported events. Parker acknowledged that “It’s something that he enforces everyday.” Parker apparently rewarded Mangum by suspending him instead of firing him. Mangum responded by reportedly checking himself into a rehabilitation facility.

Sheriff Parker was quoted as saying, “we had an officer that let something influence him and take over his life.” One has to wonder about that. If the drinking was that big an issue, why did it take Mangum actually placing the public in danger, then being arrested and charged with an alcohol related offense before some type of action or intervention occurred? Parker reportedly went on to say, “[Mangum] is a good officer. We are all human and we make mistakes.” Do the Sherriff’s Deputies say this on sentencing about the people they arrest? Sounds like a pretty forgiving philosophy.

One has to wonder how people who enforce drug laws everyday for the government could allow their judgment to be so impaired by a drug. Sure, he might have obtained and ingested it legally before getting behind the wheel. But then he placed the public in danger and his career in jeopardy just like someone who was impaired by crack, marijuana, meth, or any intoxicating substance. All is not well at the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Department.