A Florida sheriff’s deputy and apparent porn enthusiast had to resign from his job after crashing his patrol vehicle into a woman’s car while she was stopped for a school bus. The fact he was looking at pornography on his phone meant he never saw the car coming.
Lake County Deputy Sheriff Tristan Macomber’s bodycam footage showed him using his cellphone in the moments before the crash. To cover up his tracks, the 28-year-old told investigators he had been looking at texts sent by colleagues, according to the New York Daily News. He also said his brakes locked up, which isn’t something that should happen on a newish Ford Explorer. Well, as it turns out, both statements were lies. Macomber eventually fessed up and admitted he was viewing “inappropriate pictures” described as “boobs or whatnot.” Now, I’m vaguely familiar with what boobs are, but I very much need to know what falls under the category of “whatnot.”
Anyway, the November crash caused $10,000 worth of damage to his patrol car after the airbags deployed, and a further $5,000 of damage to the Toyota Corolla he struck. Luckily, no one was injured, other than Macomber’s pride.
Body cam footage obtained by WESH, an Orland-based news station, shows Macomber tossing his cellphone onto his seat and then picking it up before checking on the other driver. You can then hear him say, “Hello, ma’am. Are you OK? I’m so sorry.”
A report from internal affairs concluded that Macomber “admitted to lying,” before later stating he was “looking at pornographic material on his personal phone just before the vehicle crashed. They found that he violated three sheriff’s office policies: he lied, used an electronic device for something that was prohibited and he likely wasn’t wearing a seat belt when behind the wheel, according to WESH.
While facing termination from the force, the three-year veteran resigned instead. I personally cannot wait to see what police department he ends up at next.
h/t: Road & Track