MONCKS CORNER -- A town police officer is out of a job and a Berkeley County sheriff's deputy is under review after photos of bikini-clad women draped around a town police cruiser showed up on Facebook.
Berkeley County Attorney Nicole Ewing confirmed Wednesday that one of the bikini-clad women pictured in photos of a bikini carwash fundrasier this weekend is a sheriff's deputy. Ewing declined to identify the deputy. She said the sheriff's office turned over the case to her to determine if the deputy broke any policies or procedures by participating in a car wash.
A Moncks Corner police officer lost his job Tuesday after the photos showed him having his car washed at the Rockstar Tattoo Studio on Redbank Road. The charity event was called the "Tit n Tats" car wash.
Police Chief Chad Caldwell would not identify the officer. He also would not say if the officer was fired or asked to resign, saying that it was a personnel matter and he was forbidden by law from discussing it.
Caldwell did acknowledge, however, that the officer was no longer with the department.
"I think he took his personal car there first and then he went in his police car," Caldwell said. "I don't think he was trying to be malicious. I think he used completely poor judgment."
Rockstar Studio promoted the car was on its Facebook page, saying it would feature bikini-clad employees from Diamonds North night club in North Charleston. Josh Badgett, owner of the tattoo studio, said Wednesday that only one of the women was a dancer. He said the others included a bartender, his wife, and other regular clients of the tattoo parlor. He said the deputy is a regular client. Badgett said other officers and firefighters attended the event in the past.
Moncks Corner officers are provided with take-home cruisers, but the department has policies governing their use, Caldwell said. Allowing bikini-clad women to be photographed next to a take-home cruiser is a violation of those policies, he said.
"It reflects badly not only on the police department," Caldwell said. "It reflects badly on the town."
Badgett said the purpose of the annual function is to raise money for various charities, including the Shriners Hospital in Georgia. He said the reaction was excessive.
"The girls were washing cars. There was nothing illegal," Badgett said. "I don't understand why people are making such a big deal out of it. If Girl Scouts were out there washing cars, would there be a problem?"
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