Officials with the Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed an officer was decommissioned and arrested after the alleged theft of a bottle of Jack Daniel’s Whiskey from the car of a DUI suspect involved in a crash.
Authorities said 29-year-old patrol officer Joshua Vaughn was decommissioned and arrested on a charge of misdemeanor theft.
Reports stated Vaughn and Officer Robert Buckman responded to the crash around 10:55 p.m Friday at the intersection of Charlotte Avenue and 38th Avenue.
The driver of the car, suspected to have been driving under the influence, was taken to the hospital.
The 2013 Lexus the driver was in was inventoried by the officers before being towed.
Police said Officer Buckman noticed a bulge under Vaughn’s traffic vest as he walked back to his police car.
A sergeant was notified by Buckman, and two sergeants looked inside Vaughn’s personal vehicle after he returned to the West Precinct around 11:42 p.m.
The sergeants saw an apparently full large bottle of Jack Daniel’s Whiskey in the rear cargo area. That’s when the two went to the hospital to speak to the DUI suspect.
The suspect told them he had had a large bottle of whiskey in the Lexus.
Vaughn was confronted and admitted he had taken the bottle, placing it in his personal vehicle. Vaughn also claimed he later went back to his car and poured the whiskey out before discarding the bottle.
Officials with the police department’s Office of Professional Accountability have begun an internal investigation into Vaughn’s actions, and disciplinary proceedings have been pending, along with the theft charge.
Authorities confirmed Vaughn was hired by the department in January 2013.
