March 5, 2012 By SCRN
The second-highest ranking police officer in Mount Pleasant is on administrative leave as he faces DUI charges.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol says Maj. Frank Riccio has been charged with driving under the influence after wrecking his personal vehicle. The Mount Pleasant Police Department says Riccio has been placed on administrative leave while an internal investigation is conducted.
Highway Patrol troopers say Riccio wrecked his Jeep on U.S. Highway 17 about three miles south of Georgetown Saturday. A spokesman says the vehicle ran off the road and into a median– where it turned on its side.
Riccio’s arrest is ironic, as the Charleston Post & Courier reports Mount Pleasant consistently ranks near the top in the number of DUI arrests by its police force. In fact, the state Department of Public Safety (which includes the Highway Patrol) gave the department “Agency of the Year” honors last year largely for its DUI work.