S.C. Officer Fired after Posting about Traffic Stop with Clemson Head Coach.
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Cop fired after Dabo Swinney post
A South Carolina police officer has been fired after posting details of a traffic stop ofClemson coach Dabo Swinney on a University of South Carolina message board.
CPl. Michael McClatchy was fired Monday for using company equipment to detail his version of the events, Pickens (S.C.) Police Department chief Rodney Gregory said in a statement Friday.
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On Sept. 3, McClatchy stopped a vehicle driven by Swinney for speeding, according to Gregory, who said the Clemson coach was traveling 63 mph in a 35 mph zone.
Swinney told McClatchy that he was late for his radio show at the BI-LO supermarket in Pickens, where he was pulled over. The officer cited Swinney for speeding, but reduced the penalty to a minimum fine and points, according to Gregory.
Last Friday, McClatchy posted his details of the events at 247sports.com in order to "clear the air for all involved."
In the posting, McClatchy said he believed Swinney "thought he would be excused for the violation and continue to his (radio) appointment." He also said Swinney and his brother, who was a passenger, were asked to have a seat in the vehicle but did not.
Swinney's brother, a retired Alabama police officer, according to the Pickens County Courier, asked that McClatchy take into consideration his more than 30 years of experience as a cop, McClatchy wrote on 247sports.com.
McClatchy added that after he gave Swinney a citation, the Clemson coach gave him "what I would call an unfriendly glare, shook his head and proceeded to enter Bi-lo."
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The posting eventually was taken off the website, according to the Courier.
Gregory said both McClatchy and Swinney acted in a professional manner during the incident but that McClatchy was fired for violation of city computer policy, violation of code of ethics and violation of general orders.
