4-22-2006Officer: Lance Corporal R.S. Ashe, Senior Trooper J.A. CordonaSuspect: Matthew Robin Wallace (21)Charges: FAILURE TO STOP, SIMPLE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA, OPERATING UNINSURED, TAG VIOLAION.OPR File #PR-2106-06-0026

NEWSFEED: 11/10/06 VARIOUS VETERANS DAY CELEBRATIONS, POLICE PURSUIT ENDING IN ACCIDENT, CELEBRITIES, ARMISTICE DAY, BUSH DEDICATING MUSEUM CA VETERANS DAY dedication ceremony, new street signs with names of veterans placed in new neighborhood, ground breaking ND 164TH INFANTRY soldiers returning home deplane, riding in bus. IL FOYTEK FUNERAL military funeral procession OR BABY BORN ON BRIDGE woman in hospital bed w/newborn, Aerial fwy bridge. UT STOLEN TRUCK CHASE hah! Pov camera mounted on cop car the truck they're chasing tries driving 'off-road' and rolls! Aerial rescue workers around mangled truck. Oh, the preceding was a 'dash-cam video'. Aerial rescue workers around wreck IA GRAIN ELEVATOR ACCIDENT spilled grain around elevator. OR FLOODING NX crew preparing to move house off foundations ;CELEBRITY DIVORCES Various celebrity couples, and singles. MO NATIONAL GUARD family members hugging returned soldiers SC NATIONAL CEMETERY ANNOUNCED speech, tank rolling down city street (!), soldiers marching in parade, marching band ;CO DOVES RELEASED lots of doves being released, as a matter of fact, but not much else ;BRAZIL BUS HIJACK hijacker or hostage being carried from window of bus. MN TEACHER CHARGED high school, blurred students KY STUDENT ARREST lockers in hallway, 'Magoffin County High School'. WHITE HOUSE ON ELECTIONS Snow press conf ;WHITE HOUSE ON BOLTON. CRUISE WEDDING Spanish or Italian village around castle, old men playing chess MN FARIBAULT SNOW NX snowfall, snowplow zips by, DX scraping ice of windshield, snow covered cars in parking lot ;Dusk snowfall, DX snow covered trees, people shovel snow, car on shoulder of hwy. BUSH WITH REID AND DURBIN; BUSH DEMOCRATS Dusk White House, Nancy Pelosi, repeats, soldiers in Iraq, factory workers, Capitol at sunset ;MCCAIN speaking on election results. ANIMAL RESCUE kitty cat stuck in tree, when rescuer approaches kitty leaps to roof; IL SMALL SUBWAY FIRE Aerial rescue workers around gurney near subway access hatch sort of thing, firefighters emerge TEEN CHARGED STABBING STUDENTS trial, high school. CA VIDEOTAPED BEATING ATTORNEY 11/11/1918 WWI ENDS World War One battlefield, soldiers cheering and dancing, huge crowd cheering, Armistice Day!; NO TITLE Marine making speech, Bush speech - dedication of Marine museum

Police cars chase a school bus on a road through a desert landscape during the daytime. Dust, lights, and sirens. Please note There is approximately 26 minutes of source material on this story.

A state trooper from South Carolina is in the hospital after being hit by a pickup truck last night.Trooper Shawn Stankus is in good condition at Richland Memorial hospital. He was hit by a truck while standing beside interstate 20, talking to a motorist he had stopped. His police car's video camera captured the whole incident.Stankus managed to get back in his car and chase the truck driver.The man was eventually caught and charged with drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Police spike a school bus during a chase on a road in the desert. School bus spins out of control. Officers pursue the criminal. Dust, lights, & sirens. Please note There is approximately 26 minutes of source material on this story.

A state trooper from South Carolina is in the hospital after being hit by a pickup truck last night.Trooper Shawn Stankus is in good condition at Richland Memorial hospital. He was hit by a truck while standing beside interstate 20, talking to a motorist he had stopped. His police car's video camera captured the whole incident.Stankus managed to get back in his car and chase the truck driver.The man was eventually caught and charged with drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Dashboard camera footage of police in a high speed pursuit with a man who allegedly robbed a store. The suspect causes two accidents during the chase which ends with him crashing into a snow bank. Please note There is approximately 10 minutes of this footage. Source info obscured - all info available upon licensing.

South Carolina Highway Patrol8-11-2004Officer: JB SawyerNo information available because charges were never filed because he was a minor.

4-22-2006Officer: Lance Corporal R.S. Ashe, Senior Trooper J.A. CordonaSuspect: Matthew Robin Wallace (21)Charges: FAILURE TO STOP, SIMPLE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA, OPERATING UNINSURED, TAG VIOLAION.OPR File #PR-2106-06-0026

Lance Corporal J.T. Edwards' in-car videotape documented Robert Watson intentionally ramming the patrol vehicle two (2) times while attempting to evade apprehension. Lance Corporal Edwards terminated the approximately three (3) minute pursuit by forcibly stopping Watson's vehicle. After his vehicle came to a stop, Watson exited and fled by running up an embankment. Lance Corporal Edwards responded to this by discharging one round that struck Watson in the leg. Watson fell after being struck by the round but continued trying to evade Lance Corporal Edwards by crawling away. Lance Corporal Edwards approached Watson and gave multiple verbal commands for Watson to put his hands behind his back. As Watson continued to refuse to adhere to the verbal commands, Lance Corporal Edwards informed the radio room that an ambulance was needed and that shots had been fired. Watson appeared to be unaware that he had been shot because he calmly asked "shots fired?"

BELIEVING SUSPECT WAS INVOLVED IN AN EARLIER HIT AND RUN OFFICER WAS IN PURSUIT OF SUSPECT; AFTER SUSPECT'S VEHICLE WAS WRECKED HE RAN OUT OF THE WINDOW OF THE VEHICLE WITH A SHOT GUN AND EXCHANGED SHOTS WITH OFFICER; OFFICER WAS SHOT IN THE ARM AND CHEST; SUSPECT WAS SHOT IN THE CHEST; SUSPECT WAS FOUND NOT GUILTY BY REASON OF INSANITY;

This is Part II of yesterday's story about a state trooper who was hit by a truck while on a routine stop of another vehicle. The trooper managed to get back in his car and pursue the truck and eventually make an arrest.Yesterday we showed the police car video of the officer being hit... today we have the rest of that video which includes the arrest.A state trooper from South Carolina was hospitalized after being hit by a pickup truck Sunday night.Trooper Shawn Stankus was in good condition at Richland Memorial hospital. He was hit by a truck while standing beside interstate 20, talking to a motorist he had stopped. His police car's video camera captured the whole incident.Stankus managed to get back in his car and chase the truck driver.The man was eventually caught and charged with drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

The police officer pursuing a motorcyclist just before a fatal crash last month was radioing a supervisor about whether to continue the chase, according to county police officials, who said there are guidelines for any pursuit that could reach high speeds.A video from the Horry County police officer's dashboard-mounted camera released this week shows the motorcyclist speeding and weaving between lanes of traffic last month before the fatal collision.Before pursuing suspects, officers must consider the severity of the crime, the speed at which a suspect is traveling, potential harm to bystanders, the time of day, the condition of the police vehicle, along with weather, traffic and road conditions, officials said.dashcam0609A police officers dashboard camera captured the chase and fatal wreck of a motorcyclist."It comes down to: Do the dangers outweigh the necessity of making the arrest," said Sgt. Robert Kegler, spokesman for Horry County police. "If there's a guy you're trying to stop for a traffic violation and he's eluding the police and he's being reckless, cutting in and out of traffic, maybe it's raining ... that's something that's more than likely will get cut off. That's not a dire need to make an arrest."Officers are more likely to pursue a suspect in a homicide or kidnapping, Kegler said.In this case, the officer, Scott Calderwood, attempted to conduct a traffic stop May 15 on a motorcycle that had been seen speeding on S.C. 544, according to a police report. He reported the bike was "traveling at a speed greater than surrounding traffic."The officer pulled his vehicle behind the motorcycle and learned the registration was expired as the bike began to accelerate away from a traffic light at S.C. 544 and Singleton Ridge Road, according to an incident report. Calderwood turned on his blue lights and siren and tried to catch up with the bike, which at one point drove between a pickup and a dump truck, according to the incident report.The officer reported he "began to stay back from the motorcycle" and was talking to a supervisor about the pursuit when the crash occurred. He was about 100 yards behind the motorcycle when the bike struck a vehicle that had turned into the center lane of S.C. 544 near West Cox Ferry Road. The pursuit lasted 50 seconds and occurred about 1¼ miles from where the chase began.It has not been determined how fast the driver, Bret Hill Allen, 46, of Aynor, was traveling at the time of the crash. The S.C. Highway Patrol's Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team is investigating, according to Lance Cpl. Sonny Collins."There was no radar. [Calderwood] did not measure a specific speed, so he turned around and checked him out," Kegler said.James Preston of Darlington, who witnessed the crash, said this week that Allen passed him on S.C. 544 a few seconds before the crash. Preston said Allen "was probably speeding."Most area police departments mandate that officers talk to a supervisor before the chase begins or during its early stages.If the highway patrol is involved, the pursuing officer must be in constant communication with a supervisor. A backup vehicle will help communicate weather, traffic conditions and the speed of the chase to a dispatch official."If something like this occurs, the dispatcher will alert everyone in that area that a pursuit is in progress," said Sid Gaulden, spokesman for the S.C. Department of Public Safety. "That shuts off all other communication, except for those four people."Officers at the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office don't have a speed limit they must follow, said Sgt. Neil Johnson. They do have rules governing pursuits.In cases where police know the name of the suspect, officers may not pursue the suspect but rather obtain a warrant in hopes of arresting the person at a later time, Johnson said.Allen's death was one of three fatal motorcycle crashes reported during May's Harley-Davidson spring rally.

A South Carolina state trooper was fired after his own car's video camera abusing a woman he stopped for doing 80 mph in a 65-mph zone. The tape showed Lance Cpl. W.H. Beckwith, an 11-year highway patrol veteran, shoving the woman down on the road, cursing her and threatening to cut her clothes off. On thursday state officials released the tape, which, according to public safety director Boykin Rose showed that the officer was ``violating every procedure in the book.'' Beckwith was fired a month and a half after the Jan. 8 incident. His car was one of about 350 patrol cars equipped with video cameras that turn on with the cars' lights and sirens.

Jeffrey Nation is no longer a deputy with the Aiken County Sheriff's Office. He's charged with assault and battery and misconduct in office. News 12 has dash cam video of the whole incident. On Sunday evening, Deputy Nation was in his cruiser when he noticed 18-year-old Lorenzo Williams, Jr. was wearing his baggy pants and wearing them too low in New Ellenton. By Sunday night, the officers conduct was under investigation and by Tuesday, he was arrested and fired. "You're on camera. You want to do something really stupid? You might end up on TV. You want to do that," asks Deputy Nation in the DashCam video. Little did Deputy Nation know, he would be the one on TV after he is fired for the way he treated Lorenzo Williams, Jr. "You ain't going to walk out here with that thug activity going on. It's done tonight. You all can resume tomorrow night when I'm off," says Nation in the DashCam video. But, in this case, thug activity is just a fashion statement. There is no law in Aiken County that says baggy pants are illegal. "You need to abide by the law and you ain't going to act like a thug," says Nation in the video. Moments later, the situation gets violent. "Why does it have to be a black and white thing? You look me square in the eye... (inaudible when Lorenzo gets hit in the throat by Deputy Nation)... You put your hands on the car now. You're under arrest, you're under arrest. You don't jump up in my face," says Dep. Nation in the video. Nation claimed Williams tried to head-butt him but you can see in the video, that didn't happen. "I got to laugh because this is on camera," says Lorenzo in the DashCam video. "You're gonna get paid!" Nation's DashCam video was reviewed by his supervisor. None of them agreed what happened was right. SLED then investigated and by Tuesday, the deputy was arrested and fired. "The bottom line is, I'm not going to tolerate bad conduct against our citizens no matter where they live or who they are," says Sheriff Michael Hunt. Someone close to the William's family says scene like the one on the DashCam video, send a chill through the community. "Most children, they don't mean no harm. They're just out there for fun and games. But, they are scared to even walk the streets now because of things like this happening," says Lorenzo's close friend.Sheriff Hunt says he tells his deputies to act professionally and treat people with respect. He adds, this is an isolated incident and the other deputy in the video has provided a written statement and is not being investigated in this case. Nation was suspended back in 2004 for excessive use of force.UPDATE ON STORY:A lawsuit has been filed against the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, the Sheriff himself, and a former deputy. Back in September, dash cam video from Jeffery Nation’s patrol car caught him striking a New Ellenton teenager in the throat. Nation was fired from the Sheriff’s Office, shortly after the incident. Now, the teenager is firing back, suing for personal injury. We have the full video online. Foul language is the only items edited on this video.

IT WASN'T THIS GUY'S DAY. WHEN COPS PULLED OVER A BUICK FOR TOSSING SOME LITTER ON THE ROAD, THE DRIVER INADVERTENTY POPPED THE TRUNK WHEN HE SHUT OFF THE CAR'S ENGINE. OOPS. THE COP GOT A GOOD LOOK AT A TRUNK FULL OF STOLEN BOOZE. THOUSAND OF DOLLARS WORTH FROM A LIQUOR STORE ROBBERY THE PREVIOUS DAY. THE SUSPECT GETS NERVOUS AND RIGHT AWAY STARTS A FIGHT WITH THE OFFICER AND THEN GETS AWAY ON FOOT, LEAVING HIS PASSENGER TO TAKE THE FULL BLAME FOR THE STOLEN GOODS. THE DRIVER WAS CAUGHT A SHORT TIME LATER. HIS MOM WHO CAME TO THE SCENE SHOUTING OBSCENETIES WAS ALSO BUSTED.

ON A ROUTINE TRAFFIC STOP DEPUTY GAVIN WALMSLEY USES HIS SPIDER SENSE TO AVOID BEING HIT BY AN ONCOMING VEHICLE TRAVELING THE WRONG WAY IN THE WRONG LANE. AMAZING VIDEO OF THE OFFICER NOTICING THE CAR COMING TOWARDS HIM AND JUMPING UP OUT OF THE WAY!

LOCAL MENTAL CASE KNOWN AS “OTTO” KEEPS THE WEST MELBOURNE POLICE VERY BUSY FROM TIME TO TIME. THIS TIME, OTTO HAS FORGOTTEN TO PUT ON CLOTHES BEFORE HE BEGINS HIS DAILY CHORES LIST WHICH INCLUDES PAINTING HIS FENCE. POLICE QUICKLY REALIZE HE HAS FORGOTTEN TO TAKE HIS MEDS TODAY AND THEY TAKE HIM TO A TREATMENT CENTER TO GET HELP.

Ortagus Bennett, the suspect in this video, filed a complaint with the South Carolina Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) regarding this traffic stop. He accused Lance Corporal E. Davis of searching his car unnecessarily, leaving him in the cruiser with the heat on its maximum setting and elbowing him in the head and neck when he talked with his mother on the cell phone. South Carolina Highway Patrol11-26-2004Suspect: Ortagus D. Bennett (23)Charges: SPEEDING (66/45), UNLAWFUL TURN, DISREGARDING A TRAFFIC SIGNAL

Aiken Public Safety said its officer did not violate any internal policies and "acted properly" during a police pursuit this weekend on Silver Bluff Road when the driver being chased crashed into a tree and died. (IRD FYI: On Dashcam)The 22-year-old driver, Brendan Ryan Wilson of 1207 Gray Mare Hollow Road, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash shortly after 3:30 a.m. Saturday. His death is the 21st fatal crash in Aiken County this year, said Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton.The pursuing officer, Chris Carter, who has been with the department for eight years, has been cleared to return to work and can report to his duties with the City's Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) team today, said Carter's supervisor, Capt. Wendell Hall. Department officials said they have reviewed the in-car camera footage from Carter's car and determined that he acted properly and in accordance with national standards during the pursuit. Hall added that the officer attempted to get the driver to pull over, first by pulling up beside him before the chase began.Hall said the footage will show that Carter attempted to stop the Jeep on Whiskey Road near the Aiken Mall before 3:30 a.m., but the motorist continued south on Whiskey Road. The officer then pulled up beside the vehicle."But he refused to stop," Hall said. From Whiskey Road, the Jeep turned onto Chime Bell Church Road, police said. The Jeep was then traveling in excess of 80 mph, according to officials. The pursuit continued onto Anderson Pond Road and then to Silver Bluff Road where the fatal crash occurred.On Monday, Wilson's mother, Kim Davies, said the chase should have never continued past Whiskey Road. "He was running away from the blue lights," Davis said. "Why couldn't they stop and get the license plate and find him later?"Carter had contacted a supervisor before continuing after the motorist he believed was impaired and was told he should continue in the interest of public safety, Hall said. But Davies said it shouldn't have been handled that way."If they had stopped, maybe he would have slowed down," she saidPolice said the incident could have ended quickly, but the driver would not pull over.Wilson has had brushes with local law enforcement before. In May, Aiken Public Safety ticketed him for not having a South Carolina driver's license, speeding 51 mph in a 31 mph zone, no seat belt and careless driving. In June, New Ellenton police stopped the motorist for speeding. He was charged with driving under suspension and speeding 50 mph in a 35 mph zone. Wilson did not have a S.C. driver's license, police said. The Aiken Standard and other media outlets have requested copies the footage, which Hall said will likely be available this week.

A man who came across a fiery jet crash said he saw former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and disc jockey Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein trying to extinguish the flames on their bodies by ripping off their clothing."We turned to the jet to try and see if there was anything we could do, but immediately, there was nothing anyone could do," William Owens told CNN affiliate WIS in Columbia, South Carolina. "I felt ill or sick to think that these lives were snuffed out at that point."The two men were in critical condition with extensive burns Saturday. The crash killed four other people on board, authorities said.The Learjet 60 carrying six people, including Barker and Goldstein, was taking off from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina on Friday night when it went off the runway. The plane crashed through light towers and an antenna array before crossing a road and stopping at an embankment, authorities said.Owens came across the plane wreck while driving and stopped to see whether he could help. Lexington County Coroner Harry O. Harman said all the dead in Friday's crash were Californians. He identified them as pilot Sarah Lemmon, 31, of Anaheim Hills; co-pilot James Bland, 52, of Carlsbad; Chris Baker, 29, of Studio City; and Charles Still, 25, of Los Angeles.The Associated Press reported that Baker was an assistant to Barker and Still was a security guard for the musician. Owens told WIS-TV he was driving on Highway 302 when he saw a fireball. Owens stopped and crossed across the road, which was doused with fuel, to get close to the wreckage. Barker was standing in the road, trying to extinguish his burning pants, Owens told WIS-TV. Owens and Goldstein walked toward the plane, but there was nothing they could do to help, he said.Federal investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the crash site but said they aren't sure whether information on the device survived the blaze.Investigators are also obtaining recordings of conversations between controllers in the tower and the jet's two-person crew, said National Transportation Safety Board spokeswoman Debbie Hersman."Air traffic controllers did observe sparks from the aircraft as it was going down the runway and immediately alerted fire-rescue crews at the airport," Hersman said Saturday evening in West Columbia. The National Transportation Safety Board has sent team to West Columbia to investigate the crash. The Learjet 60 crashed on takeoff at 11:53 p.m. Friday. Beth Frits, spokeswoman at the Joseph Still Burn Center, in Augusta, Georgia, said Barker and Goldstein arrived at the hospital early Saturday. She said both men had "extensive burns." Video Watch charred wreckage of the plane »Barker and Goldstein had played at a huge free outdoor concert in Columbia's Five Points district on Friday night, CNN affiliate WIS-TV said.Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the twin-engine private jet was cleared for takeoff on a flight to Van Nuys, California, and began its takeoff roll a few minutes before midnight.Air traffic controllers "saw sparks coming from the runway -- whether that was from the aircraft or its engines, we don't know," Bergen said Saturday."They overran the end of runway 11. They impacted the antenna array and a number of lights at the end of the runway. They went through the perimeter fence and across the roadway here," Hersman said Saturday. "There was a significant post-crash fire."The crash closed the airport, which is Columbia's main commercial and passenger terminal, and it remained closed late Saturday afternoon. The airport's Web site listed nine commercial airline flights canceled through 7 p.m. Saturday.Hersman said the airport would not reopen until investigators finished collecting debris from the runway and crash site.advertisementShe said investigators would look at every aspect of the crash, from the pilots' schedules to the aircraft's condition. She said it was a fairly new airplane, manufactured in 2006 and certified to operate in 2007.In addition to playing with Blink-182, Barker appeared in the MTV reality show "Meet the Barkers" along with his wife at the time, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler, according to MTV's Web site.COLUMBIA --It was an escape that mystified those who stood before the fireball.Travis Barker, a rock drummer, and celebrity DJ Adam Goldstein climbed onto the right wing of a flaming Learjet that was to have delivered them and four others Friday to Los Angeles."Once they slid down the wing, they had to jump on each other to put each other out," Lt. Josh Shumpert of the South Congaree Police Department recalled the men telling him after the commuter jet crashed about midnight.Shoeless, in shock and in pain, Barker and Goldstein kept asking for an ambulance and worrying about their friends still inside, said Shumpert, one of the first responders on the scene."They were pacing back and forth," he said. The men did not appear to be burned as badly as he expected.The crash killed four people, including Barker's two assistants and the plane's crew.Shumpert said Goldstein, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts or boxers, was hurt the worst.The lieutenant and Columbia resident Bill Owens were among the first to arrive. A dashboard camera from Shumpert's cruiser captured the turmoil, and the officer gave his first extended interview Tuesday."I remember seeing the DJ guy with burns on his arms and the back and top of his head."Shumpert said he did not see burns on Barker, though he acknowledged it was dark."I think he had on one sock. Either that, or they were both real nasty. He did not have a shirt on."Doctors at an Augusta burn center said Barker, 32, and Goldstein, 35, have second- and third-degree burns. They are likely to recover fully, doctors have said."Travis was more visibly shaken than the other guy," said the 25-year-old lieutenant.Neither Barker nor Goldstein said much. Shumpert tried to comfort them, not knowing until an hour later that they were celebrities.Barker was a member of the multiplatinum-selling rock band Blink-182.Goldstein, known as DJ AM, once was engaged to celebrity Nicole Ritchie.Four days later, Owens said he feels guilty. "I'm concerned that I didn't react quickly. I reacted cautiously."

STOLEN JEEP CROSSES GA BORDER FROM SC. LT. DURDEN GETS CALL AND CHASE IS ON. JEEP FLIPS AT THE END OF CHASE AND SUSPECTS ARE THROWN OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THEY BOTH SURVIVE AND ARE SENT BACK TO SC TO FACE CHARGES. SUSPECTS CHARGED WITH STOLEN VEHICLE AND FLEEING AND ELUDING

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. -- A Williamston woman is alive, thanks to the quick response of a police officer who got her out of her car seconds before an Amtrak train slammed into it -- and it was all caught on camera.Every night, Greer police Officer Marcus O'Shields meets an officer from the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport to exchange information. Tuesday, just after midnight, O'Shields went to the meeting place near the Norfolk Southern tracks along Highway 80 near the Poinsett Bridge.  That's when he spotted a car driven by Betsy Devall stopped on the tracks.Devall was on the phone with a friend. It took O'Shields nearly a minute and a half to convince Devall to get out of the car and away from the vehicle -- just 17 seconds before the train crashed into the car.“You’ve seen the video,” O’Shields told WYFF News 4’s Mandy Gaither. “It tells the whole story. It's pretty graphic, and we don't see the rest of it, with the car catching on fire on down the track. It gets your nerves going pretty good.”The Crescent Line train was headed to New York, and had just left the Greenville depot loaded with 180 passengers.By the time it smashed into Devall's car, the 854-foot-long train was traveling more than 70 mph.The incident was caught on camera by one of the officer's dashboard cameras. On tape, you can hear Devall thanking O'Shields for saving her life. She told him she wasn't familiar with the area.Three passengers on the train were treated for minor injuries -- two for smoke inhalation and one for an ankle injury.Devall said that she had been to visit a friend after work, and was on her way to another friend's house when she got lost and stopped to call for directions. She said she didn't realized that she had turned onto the tracks.Doug Bryson with Spartanburg Emergency Management said that if Devall hadn't gotten out of the car, she wouldn't be alive."The condition of her car -- there's no way she should have survived that type of impact," Bryson said.Bryson agreed that the officer ending up at his usual meeting place at the usual time made all the difference."He was in the right place at the right time," Bryson said, "Like I said, there would have been a much different outcome if he or any other witness had not been here to see that."Police said the use of the cell phone was clearly a contributing factor in the crash, but at this time, no charges have been filed.

Officials say a state trooper suspected of DUI was wearing a red dress and a bra when he was brought to jail. And the man who called 911 says another trooper failed to pull him over minutes before he called 911.A South Carolina Highway Patrol officer is off the job after being arrested under bizarre circumstances on Wednesday.Officials say trooper Leslie C. Hoover was pulled over on John Dodd Road in Spartanburg County under suspicion of DUI. This came after a motorist called 911 to report Hoover's personal vehicle, an Isuzu Rodeo, swerving erratically on Insterstate 26 about 6:40pm in heavy rush hour traffic. The SC Department of Public Safety says Hoover refused a breathalyzer and failed a field sobriety test. He was charged with driving under the influence.Thursday morning, Hoover appeared before a magistrate and was released on his own recognizance. But his appearance when he entered the jail has stirred more discussion than his legal troubles.A high-ranking official who wished to remain anonymous says she saw Hoover brought into the jail "wearing a red dress". He says Hoover was also wearing a bra and was seen "adjusting his bra" while he waited to be processed. And he says the shamed trooper had a pair of thong panties "in his possession".That would explain statements made by the man who made the 911 call on the interstate. The driver, who asked not to be identified, said Hoover "appeared to be wearing a blonde wig" when he came flying past him near exit 22. On a recording of his 911 call - which was obtained by News Channel 7 - the man refers to Hoover as "she" several times."Yes, I'm on interstate 26 heading west at exit 22 and there is a red, I think it's an Isuzu or a Rodeo, and she - I think it's a she - is weaving all over the road," says the caller on the 911 tape.Dispatcher: "Do you think she's intoxicated or....?"Caller: "I can't tell but she is weaving all over the road!".Sid Gaulden, spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety, says Hoover is from Lexington County and was on his personal time when he was arrested. He says Hoover was terminated Thursday morning. He had worked for the Highway Patrol for 30 years. He says Hoover retired in 2000 but came back to work in 2002 as a member of the patrol's Insurance Enforcement Team. The team works with the Department of Motor Vehicles to seize license plates from car owners who have allowed their insurance coverage to lapse."They are part-time employees but they have the same authority to conduct traffic stops and issue citations as a full-time state trooper," says Gaulden. He says Hoover did not have any disciplanary actions against him as a patrol officer from 1976 to 2000. But after he came back in 2002, he had to attend one counseling session for "negligent operation of a state vehicle". Gaulden says that stemmed from an incident in which Hoover rear-ended a civilian's vehicle. He says "there was no indication alcohol was a factor" in that crash.The man who called 911 raises another interesting issue: he says another state trooper could have stopped Hoover before he called 911 but did not pull him over. He says as Hoover's vehicle swerved all over the road near exit 22, a state trooper in an SUV pulled "right up behind" Hoover and followed him. He says at the time, Hoover's vehicle was straddling the divided white line that separates lanes."I really thought (the trooper) was going to pull him over because he was clearly weaving," says the caller. "But he just went right around him and took off real fast like he was in a hurry."He says as the trooper was going around Hoover's vehicle, Hoover swerved off the shoulder of the interstate."I thought that would have been obvious enough for the trooper to notice that but I guess he didn't," says the man. He says minutes later, after he saw Hoover almost collide with several vehicles, he picked up his cell phone and dialed 911.We informed Department of Public Safety of the man's statement about the trooper failing to pull over Hoover. Gaulden said they were not aware of the scenario "but we will investigate it fully" to see if it was indeed a state trooper who pulled up behind Hoover and if so, why they opted not to pull him over.