Charleston City Councilman Harry Griffin has had drunk-driving charges against him dropped after the Berkeley County deputy who arrested him resigned for unrelated reasons, according to local reports.
Berkeley County Deputy Brandon Vega, who arrested Griffin on May 29 at a County Line Road checkpoint, reportedly resigned his position with the agency, Live 5 News reported Monday morning. The resignation is said to be unrelated, with a county spokesman telling The Post and Courier he intended to leave law enforcement altogether.
Griffin was taken into custody around 9 p.m. on May 29 after Vega detected a “strong odor of alcohol” from the first-term councilman’s car as he answered the deputy’s questions at the checkpoint, according to a Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
Griffin told Vega he had “only one” drink after initially denying he consumed any alcohol. Declining a field sobriety test as well as breath and blood sample tests, Griffin spent the night in Berkeley County’s Hill-Feinklea Detention Center and was released on a personal recognizance bond.
After the arrest, Griffin said on Facebook that he would be “vindicated in court.” He has continued to serve in his capacity as a member of council and attended committee meetings Monday.
After initially saying in September that he would not run for a second term in his West Ashley district, Griffin kicked off his reelection campaign in March. In 2019, Griffin also flirted with a run for mayor, but did not file to become a candidate.
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