Shelby County Sheriff’s Office news release.
Traffic Stop Leads to Administrative Charge for DeputyA Sheriff’s Deputy who stopped a motorist recently for an expired license tag has been charged administratively by the Sheriff’s Office for the way he handled the incident.
Deputy Micah McNinch faces a one-day suspension without pay for violating Sheriff’s Office Policy 102 Unsatisfactory Job Performance-“An employee will maintain sufficient competency to properly perform assigned duties and responsibilities of the position to which he/she is assigned.”
Wayne Ables, of Memphis, called the Sheriff’s Office about being pulled over by Deputy McNinch on March 12 just before 2 a.m. The Deputy stopped Ables’ pickup truck for expired tags as it headed north on Germantown Parkway near Highway 64.
Ables told the Deputy his mother, a passenger in the vehicle, was having difficulty breathing. Deputy McNinch immediately called for an ambulance. While paramedics were in route, Mr. Ables never alerted Deputy McNinch his mother’s condition had worsened.
“I instructed our Bureau of Professional Standards and Integrity to immediately initiate an investigation. Investigators determined while waiting for the ambulance, the Deputy should have used better judgment to check on Ms. Ables’ condition. We will use this incident to refine our policies about how our personnel respond when they encounter medical issues,” added Sheriff Luttrell.
Deputy McNinch has had no disciplinary issues since joining the department in 2006.
