As federal authorities look into the case of a white deputy's violent arrest of a black high school student, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says a decision could come Wednesday on whether to fire Senior Deputy Ben Fields over the incident, which was filmed by several students.
The sheriff is expected to announce the findings of his department's internal inquiry around noon ET Wednesday. We'll update this post with that news.
Fields was placed on unpaid leave after the incident, which was witnessed by a classroom of students Monday morning.
"I wanted to throw up, it makes you sick to your stomach," Lott said about his reaction to a video of the arrest, in which one of his officers flipped a young woman's desk backward before dragging her across the floor in a classroom. "You can't watch the video without having those feelings."
Lott says an internal affairs investigation into the incident at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C., will focus on whether Fields, a school resource officer, followed departmental procedures and guidelines.
"Any possible criminal investigation will be handled by federal and state agencies," reports local WLTX TV. As we reported Tuesday, Lott requested an independent federal investigation soon after the incident made headlines; the U.S. Justice Department says it's opening a civil rights investigation.
More than a dozen parents and other residents spoke about the videotaped arrest at last night's regularly scheduled board meeting for Richland School District Two, which includes Spring Valley High.
"My son said to me, 'Dad, no white child would have been removed from Spring Valley like that,' " said Stephen Gilchrist, of the district's Black Parents Association, according to WIS-TV.
Another attendee, who acknowledged that she knows Fields and was surprised by the video, told the board, "That child in the classroom was given ample opportunity to comply," adding later, "She chose to be defiant."
The incident has put Fields in the spotlight, with many observers discussing possible motives for his behavior.
On Tuesday, Lott said that he's not analyzing the student's behavior — only his officer's response. He also said that he doubts whether race played a role in the incident, noting that Fields "has been dating an African-American woman for 'quite some time,' " as the AP reports.
The deputy has also faced lawsuits over his on-the-job conduct.
The State newspaper reports: "Fields has had three lawsuits filed against him as a deputy. In one, involving an excessive-force allegation before Fields worked in schools, a federal jury found in his favor. Another case was dismissed, the Associated Press reported. The third suit, which is ongoing, alleges Fields wrongly pushed for a Richland 2 student's expulsion."
Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
