SALUDA COUNTY, S.C. — The South Carolina deputy who arrested a Georgia university's starting quarterback on drug charges - for what was later found to be bird poop - has resigned.
In late January, Saluda County Sheriff's Deputy Charles Browder tendered his resignation to the sheriff's office. No reason for the resignation was given.
On July 31, 2019, Browder pulled Werts over for speeding at more than 80 mph.
In a police dashcam video, Georgia Southern quarterback Shai Werts was shown getting out of his vehicle and being placed in handcuffs less than one minute after being pulled over.
In the video, deputies could be seen examining items from inside his car and pulling out bags.
One deputy, Browder, asked Werts about a white residue on the hood of his car.
The deputy's bodycam showed that, over the course of the search, the deputy insisted that a field test indicated the residue had tested positive for cocaine.
Werts said that the substance was bird poop.
Browder arrested Werts on drug charges which were dropped less than a week later when further analysis from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed was not cocaine but indeed bird poop.
"On August 8, 2019, SLED received the substance and completed the drug analysis," a statement from the state agency said. "The forensic scientist determined that no controlled substance was detected."
Following the state agency's report, the county solicitor dropped charges against Werts.
During the state agency's investigation, Werts sat out practices on a suspension enforced by the team. Following the agency's exoneration, Werts was reinstated by the Georgia Southern athletic program.
An investigation by Augusta NBC station WAGT indicated that Browder had resigned from another county sheriff's office in South Carolina in lieu of disciplinary action after an alleged incident of misconduct while responding to a suicidal woman involved in an alleged domestic situation.
According to WAGT, Saluda County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Toby Horne defended Browder's work while in his department saying he was "nothing but professional."
This was even after he became aware of Browder's alleged misconduct prior to working for his department, according to the investigative report.
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