Deputy Fired for Driving Without License

(Richland County, South Carolina) A 49-year-old Sheriff's Deputy, Melinda Martin, has been fired for driving a patrol car for several months without a valid operator's license. One must wonder if she ticketed anyone for not having a license when she was without one.

Martin's license had been suspended in 2005 for not having valid insurance and a recent records check, prompted by a tipster, discovered the violation. Department policy dictates that license suspensions require notification of superiors.

Interestingly, law enforcement officers in South Carolina apparently have a generic problem with driver's licenses being suspended. Department of Public Safety spokesman Sid Gaulden said that seven officers currently are suspended.