A police detective who pulled a gun on a colleague over the smell of microwaved fish has lost his job and been ordered to give up his police certification for good.
Michael DeBiase, 46, apparently took such exception to his co-worker’s choice of lunch that he drew his department-issued handgun and pointed it at him.
The extraordinary incident happened at police headquarters in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on May 30.
What began as a disagreement over office kitchen etiquette ended with DeBiase facing a felony charge and losing his career after admitting a charge of public disorderly conduct.
The former detective was sentenced to 90 days of probation, fined $350 (around £265) and ordered to permanently surrender his South Carolina police certification. Under the agreement, he must also promise never to seek reinstatement.
According to court documents obtained by The Smoking Gun, the trouble began when a fellow officer decided to heat up some fish in the office microwave.
The resulting smell evidently didn’t go down well with DeBiase, who confronted the patrolman in the police department’s briefing room, Daily Mail reports.
But rather than settling the matter with a discussion, complaint, or perhaps a passive-aggressive note on the fridge, the detective allegedly reached for his gun. Investigators said he removed the weapon from its holster and pointed it at his colleague.
An arrest warrant states that DeBiase confronted the officer ‘about warming up fish in the microwave, causing an odour in the office’.
The colleague, who hasn’t been publicly identified, subsequently gave a statement to investigators.
DeBiase also provided an account of what happened, although details of his explanation haven’t been made public.
He was immediately placed on administrative leave while the department’s Office of Professional Standards and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigated.
The internal investigation uncovered a number of breaches of police policy, leading to DeBiase being sacked. The force made clear that his behavior fell well short of what it expected from its officers.
‘This incident does not reflect the values demonstrated by the men and women of the Myrtle Beach Police Department every day,’ the department said in a statement.
DeBiase was arrested on June 2 and initially charged with pointing and presenting a firearm at a person, a felony under South Carolina law.
He was booked into the J Reuben Long Detention Center in Horry County and subsequently released on $5,000 bail.
The case was resolved on October 23, when DeBiase pleaded guilty to the reduced misdemeanour charge and received a conditional discharge.
The arrangement means he can avoid having a conviction entered on his criminal record, provided that he complies with the court’s various conditions.
Should he breach those terms, the judge has the power to formally record a conviction. His agreement to permanently surrender his police certification, meanwhile, means his law enforcement career in South Carolina is over.
Court documents don’t reveal what kind of fish caused all the trouble, or whether DeBiase’s gun was loaded. Either way, it’s safe to say that anyone using that microwave in the future will think twice about having anything too smelly for lunch.