Bluffton confirms Frazier’s license wasn’t suspended at time of arrest. DMV apologizes
Bluffton confirmed Thursday that town council member Bridgette Frazier’s license was incorrectly listed as suspended when she was stopped for speeding in March. Because of the mistake, Frazier was arrested and that led to Frazier’s demand of $2 million from the town for false arrest. The state’s department of motor vehicles issued a rare apology for the error.
On Thursday, Bluffton sent out a press release addressing the situation with Frazier and revealing new details.
The Bluffton Police Department dropped Frazier’s charges after the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles submitted written confirmation that her driving privileges should not have been suspended at the time of her arrest. “The goal of law enforcement is compliance with the law; due to Ms. Frazier proving she complied; the charges were dismissed,” the press release revealed.
The release also noted that the SCDMV apologized to Frazier for the mistake.
“Errors such as this, while rare, do happen due to the volume of these transactions SCDMV handles that include several manual steps in the process,” SCDMV spokesperson Mike Fitts said over email. “The SCDMV has requested budgetary funding to modernize its current computer system, which will automate this and numerous other processes to reduce the chance of errors.”
Bluffton Police Chief Joe Babkiewicz told the newspapers that because the DMV had listed Frazier’s License as suspended, he feels his officers did their duty in arresting Frazier.
Bluffton Mayor Larry Toomer gave a statement through the release. “As a community, we must continue to respect the legal process until this matter is resolved. We are committed to navigating this situation with transparency while ensuring we do not interfere with the ongoing legal proceedings,” he said.
After being dismissed, Beaufort County Magistrate LaShonda G. Scott ordered an expungement of the charges. There is no longer a record of the arrest in the South Carolina public index.
On June 25, Frazier submitted a letter to the town of Bluffton with a seven-figure demand in response to what she says was a “false and arrest and false imprisonment.” Frazier and her attorney, SC state representative Tiffany Spann-Wilder, cite that a payment from the town would avoid any litigation over the incident.
