Mock

Ohio Deputy, trooper convicted for leaving drunk at Taco Bell

Via ~ The Associated Press
An Ohio state trooper and a sheriff's deputy have been convicted of dereliction of duty in relation to an intoxicated man who spoke little English, was taken to a fast-food restaurant and was later struck and killed by a vehicle.

A jury on Tuesday found that Trooper Sean Carpenter and Delaware County Deputy Derek Beggs were guilty of misdemeanor dereliction of duty. They were fined $1,000.

The men were accused of not properly dealing with 22-year-old Uriel Juarez Popoca, who was found drunk in his truck in a highway median, taking the man to Taco Bell instead of into custody.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Beggs and Hughes drove Popoca, who was a native of Mexico, to the Taco Bell and left him there. "They gotta have someone in there who can interpret," one of the deputies said in dash cam video of the incident.

After Popoca was dropped at the Taco Bell, the store manager made several 911 calls, complaining about the drunken man in the restaurant.

A short while later, a driver called 911 to report he hit a man walking along the road. Popoca was pronounced dead at the scene.

A second deputy charged in the case previously pleaded no contest to failure to assist a law enforcement officer. He was fined $20

(12-19-2012, 06:43 AM)Duchess Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-18-2012, 10:05 PM)Sphincter Cop Wrote: [ -> ]"They gotta have someone in there who can interpret," one of the deputies said in dash cam video of the incident.

That's a ridiculous statement. It would be akin to saying that because I have a kitchen I must know how to cook.

They should have been terminated. What if the guy would have wandered into traffic causing his death, or anothers. No telling what else could have happened, when left at a Taco Bell in Ohio.