A police officer who resigned from a Tupelo-area force days after a drunk-driving arrest in 2020 was wearing a different force's uniform when he was arrested for the same offense on Friday night, authorities in Mississippi say. Jonathan Boyd, 32, was arrested in Saltillo by the Mississippi Highway Patrol and charged with offenses including DUI-second offense, leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a suspended license, and driving with an expired license, the Daily Journal reports.
It's not clear exactly how long Boyd was patrolling the streets for the Verona Police Department without a valid driver's license, but since Mississippi licenses expire on the driver's birthday and Boyd was born in July, it would have been at least eight months, the Journal notes. Boyd's first DUI offense was in Oct. 2020, when he was employed by the Saltillo Police Department. He launched an appeal after pleading no contest and it's not clear whether the suspended license charge is connected to the case.
Saltillo Police Chief Daniel McKinney says that in the Friday incident, Boyd was wearing his Verona uniform when he sideswiped another vehicle, WCBI reports. The chief says the two drivers agreed to meet at a nearby Exxon station, and the other driver called 911 after Boyd didn't stop. Verona Police Chief Marsenio Nunn says Boyd was off duty at the time of the incident. He says Boyd has been suspended and an internal investigation is underway. (More Mississippi stories.)