A deputy is out of jail after police say he drove drunk and crashed into a state trooper. Now an internal investigation is under way.
Riverdale police say 40-year-old Gerald Cambridge was off-duty when he bumped the trooper from behind on Highway 85 near Church Street about 3 a.m. Sunday. Residents couldn't believe he didn't see the trooper in front of him.
"You hit the wrong person. You hit your own fellow officer. You deserve to go to jail," Malcolm Hill told Channel 2’s Tom Jones.
The trooper says he was stopped at the red light waiting to make a left turn. According to the police report, Cambridge says he saw a green light out the corner of his eye, and that's when he hit the trooper from behind. Police say Cambridge's eyes were bloodshot and watery. Police say he smelled of alcohol, and that Cambridge told them he had three beers.
Riverdale residents say if Cambridge is guilty, he should be punished.
"Yeah, he should be fired," Kharri Trotter said, adding the deputy is setting a bad example.
"Not to be drinking and driving first, off. How dare you arrest somebody and you're drinking and driving?" one man said.
Police say Cambridge refused a field sobriety test. Neither officer suffered injuries. Residents who heard about the incident hope Cambridge doesn't get off because he's a cop.
"The same punishment everyone else gets. He's not special just because he has a badge. He has to obey the law just like everyone else," one man said.
The sheriff's office told Jones that Cambridge is still on duty and an internal investigation is under way.
About the Author
