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Rock Hill Officer suspended following DUI arrest in Fort Mill

ROCK HILL, S.C. — A Rock Hill police officer is suspended following a weekend DUI arrest in Fort Mill.

Rock Hill police officer Sammy Figueroa was nominated as officer of the year back in March.

This weekend he was off duty, but driving his unmarked police vehicle when he was stopped after one a.m. Sunday morning.

The first thing the Fort Mill officer who stopped him noticed was the smell of alcohol.

According to the report, the Fort Mill officer spotted a silver car speeding over the railroad tracks downtown on south White Street and Main Street.

The car bottomed out, then turned left.

The officer said the car was swerving in the road and crossing the center line.

He stopped the car on Spratt Street.

Inside was Figueroa, who didn't have his license, failed a field sobriety test, and was arrested.

He also refused to submit to a breathalyzer test.

According to the report the officer asked him if he'd been drinking, and Figueroa replied, "Not much."

Rock Hill Police Chief John Gregory would not speak to reporters about the arrest on Monday, but did issue a short statement saying, "the officer is under procedural suspension pending the internal investigation."

Channel 9 went to Figueroa's home in Indian Land on Monday, but no one answered the door.

Rock Hill police would not say how long their investigation would take.

Figueroa was released on bond Sunday morning.

He is a narcotics officer with York County's mulch-jurisdictional drug enforcement unit.

The leader of that group, Commander Marvin Brown, said he also did not wish to comment on the arrest.