The Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office says deputies arrested a Clemson University professor on a DUI charge last week.

52-year-old Ronald David Lamie, of Columbia, was arrested on Thursday, Dec. 8 on U.S. 1 near Lugoff. Lamie is an Associate Professor of Applied Economics and Statistics and works at the Clemson Sandhills Extension facility in Columbia, SC.

According to the incident report, a deputy noticed a vehicle cross the center line at least twice on U.S. 1 at about 7:30 p.m., but because of traffic, he could not reverse direction to follow the vehicle. The deputy received a phone call from a DNR officer who had been following the vehicle, and the deputy told him to pull the vehicle over if the erratic driving continued and he would be there to assist as soon as he could turn around.

The DNR officer pulled the vehicle over and the deputy arrived within seconds. Both officers reported a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle as they approached.

Deputies say a field sobriety test showed Lamie was impaired and he was arrested for DUI.  

The vehicle Lamie was driving was registered to the State of South Carolina. He later admitted he was an employee of Clemson University after a traffic unit supervisor at the scene questioned Lamie about the vehicle.

Lamie was transported to the Kershaw County Detention Center, where he was administered a “breathalyzer” exam that indicated that his blood alcohol content was .15, which is nearly twice the legal limit. Once sober, Lamie was released on bond.