Contact: Sammy McDavid
A Mississippi State police officer is being suspended from duty without pay for five days as a result of his May 31 arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol.
University Police Chief Tom Johnson said Capt. William A. Cole also is being officially reprimanded and will be required to attend an alcohol abuse seminar.
Johnson announced his decision today after concluding an internal department investigation into the incident. He said Cole accepts the terms of his punishment and has apologized to and asked forgiveness of his colleagues in the department.
Cole, director of patrol operations and a university employee for more than two decades, had no previous arrest record when he entered a Mississippi Highway Patrol roadblock around 10 p.m. MHP officers had set up a temporary checkpoint on state Highway 182 near the Hickory Grove Road intersection.
"Driving under the influence is a most serious infraction that society does not and cannot tolerate," Johnson said. "William knows that his error is even more grievous because he is a veteran law enforcement officer who has seen firsthand what damage DUIs cause on our roadways.
"William is a fine officer with a previously unblemished record," Johnson said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him as he works to correct his mistake."