TN judge dismisses DUI, other charges against former Gulfport officer, court says
A judge in Sevier County General Sessions Court in Tennessee dismissed misdemeanor charges against former Gulfport Police Sgt. Joseph Prine Jr. on Wednesday.
Judge Dwight Stokes dismissed the misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence, violating open container laws, and carrying a weapon while under the influence.
The judge dismissed the case after a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
A written order explaining the dismissal was not issued in the case, according to the clerk.
Prine expressed relief after the decision.
“God is great,” Prine said Friday.
“During my preliminary hearing, the judge reviewed all the evidence and body camera footage and ruled that probable cause was not met,” Prine said.
“Thank you to everyone who stood by me and knew the truth would come out.”
Prine said the judge indicated insufficient probable cause existed to draw blood from the former Gulfport officer after the stop to determine if his blood-content showed he was legally drunk under Tennessee state law.
Officers in Gatlinburg, Tennessee stopped Prine around 10:22 p.m. on Dec. after they saw him activate blue lights and sirens in his unmarked police car, according to body camera footage.
Inside the car, officers found open beer cans and an open jar of moonshine pickles.
During the stop, the officers asked Prine why he activated his emergency lights and siren.
“To be honest with you,” Prine said, “we were just hitting the lights.”
In the body camera footage, cars are seen yielding to the Black Ford Explorer before Gatlinburg police officers pulled Prine over. Gatlinburg police officer Ryan Myers wrote in an arrest report that he believed Prine “intended to abuse his power as a police officer.”
“If he was only hitting his lights, he wouldn’t have left the lights on for so long or passed the other vehicles,” the report says.
Prine was in Tennessee at the time for training along with a second officer.
Prine was placed on administrative leave with play after the arrest, but later resigned.
