High-ranking sc trooper retires amidst DUI case controversy. Captain Stacy Craven, a trooper with the South Carolina Highway Patrol, has retired in the middle of an ongoing investigation. The investigation, currently led by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), relates to the DUI case of a major Clemson donor. The Office of Professional Responsibility, which is a part of the Department of Public Safety, is also investigating the matter at the moment.
The incident at the heart of the controversy took place back in November, 2014. A trooper stopped and arrested Stanley Riggins over charges of DUI and took him to a county jail. Riggins was about to be booked at the Pickens County Jail when Captain Craven arrived. He then took Riggins with him and left him at a place where his wife would pick him up.
At the time of the incident, Craven was only a lieutenant. He was subsequently promoted to the position of the Captain and was now commanding nearly 150 troopers at the time of his retirement. Investigations by SLED into the case revealed that Craven didn’t act as per the Highway Patrol policy. Typically, a person arrested for DUI is booked by a county jail before he can get a bail. It is almost never the case for a person to be released without any action whatsoever.
Following SLED’s investigation into the case, Captain Craven has now announced his retirement. His position was replaced on last Saturday, Nov 2. It is not clear whether Craven has agreed to retire as some kind of settlement or has voluntarily agreed to it in view of the controversy surrounding his past. It is also not unclear how his retirement would affect his legal position or the charges against him. In his defense, Craven has stated that his actions were ‘stupid’ and that he regretted having helped Riggins.
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