A Columbia County deputy was fired and arrested Tuesday after allegedly driving under the influence of drugs last weekend.
Joel Larsen, 40, of North Augusta, S.C., was charged with DUI, theft and violation of oath of office, Maj. Steve Morris confirmed to AJC.com.
Larsen was pulled over about 9 p.m. Saturday after another driver called 911 to report that the deputy was driving erratically, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. He had just finished an off-duty special assignment, and was pulled over by a coworker on Washington Road near General Woods Parkway.
Larsen, who worked for the sheriff’s office since February 2005, appeared to be confused and was taken to University Hospital, authorities said. Inside his car, deputies allegedly found an unlabeled bottle of pills, a plastic bag containing various pills and prescription bottles with other people’s names on them.
Larsen agreed to a blood test at the hospital and he was suspended with pay on Saturday, the release said. After being fired and arrested, he was released from the Columbia County jail on a $4,800 bond.
“Because of Larsen’s position in law enforcement and the public trust bestowed upon him, to say that we are disappointed is an understatement,” the sheriff’s office said in its release.
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