‘No way I was that drunk’: Report details Timmonsville officer’s DUI arrest
FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A Timmonsville police officer who was placed on administrative leave after his DUI arrest had a blood alcohol level of 0.24, or three times the legal limit, according to a report by South Carolina Highway Patrol obtained by News13.
On January 14, 2024, at about 7:22 p.m., a trooper responded to S-Hill Rd in reference to a vehicle crashing into a ditch in Florence County. The trooper approached the driver of the vehicle who was identified as Justin D. Bostick, 33, through his South Carolina driver’s license.
The trooper noted Bostick’s eyes were glossy, red, and watery, the report said. As the trooper gathered more information on the vehicle, the trooper noticed an odor of an alcoholic beverage.
The trooper circled around the vehicle in an attempt to get closer to Bostick to confirm the smell. The trooper also noticed Bostick had a hard time balancing to retrieve his insurance card, the report said.
This led the trooper to perform a standard field sobriety test on Bostick to make sure he wasn’t under the influence of any drugs or alcohol.
After getting Bostick’s permission, the trooper asked Bostick to perform a series of tests.
First, Bostick was asked to perform the horizontal gaze nystagmus test. He was given specific instructions to follow the trooper’s stimulus with only his eyes. Bostick followed the stimulus by turning his head multiple times and could not keep his focus on the stimulus, the report said.
The horizontal gaze nystagmus test had to be stopped and continued many times due to Bostick’s inability to focus. Bostick was finally able to properly focus, and the trooper noticed a lack of smooth pursuit in both of Bostick’s eyes, the report said.
Next, Bostick was asked to perform the walk and turn test, the report said.
The trooper asked Bostick to get in start position and stay there until the trooper told him to stop. Bostick was unable to stay in the start position without moving. The trooper demonstrated the test for Bostick and allowed him to try. Bostick missed heel to toe with every step he took, the report said.
The trooper added Bostick spread his arms and used them for balance while performing the test. Bostick performed every other command correctly during the walk and turn test, the report said.
For the last test, Bostick was asked to perform the one leg stand. The trooper demonstrated the exercise to Bostick and told him to continue to the exercise until told to stop, according to the report.
Bostick put his foot down several times and asked the trooper when he was supposed to stop. Bostick also flailed his arms and could not maintain his own balance, the report said.
After failing the series of tests, the trooper placed Bostick under arrest for driving under the influence, according to the report.
In the report, the trooper said he noticed something hard protruding from Bostick’s left pants pocket and pulled it out. The trooper found that the item protruding was a wallet badge.
The trooper asked Bostick was he a law enforcement officer and Bostick informed the trooper that he worked for the Timmonsville Police Department, the report said.
Bostick was placed into the patrol car and taken to the Florence County Detention Center. Bostick was later asked by the trooper to provide a breath sample.
Bostick blew a 0.24 and stated that “there was no way that he was that drunk,” the report said. Bostick was booked into jail and left in the custody of the Florence County Detention Center staff.
Bostick has been with the Timmonsville Police Department since Jan. 13, 2022, according to records obtained by News13 from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. He was with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office from July 2015 until October 2021.
Records show Bostick was fired from the sheriff’s office on Oct. 1, 2021, for “violation of agency policy.” He allegedly drank alcohol while operating a county vehicle.
Timmonsville police chief James Allen said Bostick was in his own vehicle at the time of arrest.
“An employee was involved in an incident off-duty and not involving any town equipment. We are dealing with it as a personnel matter. He has been placed on administrative leave,” Allen said in a statement to News13.
Bostick was released from jail on a $2,265 bond and the South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.
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Taylor Ford is a digital journalist for News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2023. Taylor is a Florence native and covers the Pee Dee out of News13’s Florence Bureau. Read more of Taylor’s work here.
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