BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C – The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office recently announced the addition of its first full-time special DUI prosecutor, Justin Mims.
The position is fully funded through a special South Carolina Department of Public Safety grant, that does not require a local match. The grant period began October 1, 2020 and will last through September 30, 2021.
Mims was formerly a part-time prosecutor for the sheriff’s office, at the magistrate court level. He was initially hired through a part-time grant awarded to the sheriff’s office in October 2017.
At the time, the sheriff’s office was the first law enforcement agency in the state to receive such a grant; since then, numerous other agencies across the state have followed suit. The part-time grant was renewed in 2018 and 2019 and expanded to a full-time grant this year due to its overwhelming success.
Mims is the only DUI prosecutor for the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office at the magistrate court level, where first offense DUI arrests are prosecuted.
The City of Goose Creek, City of Hanahan and South Carolina Highway Patrol each also have their own dedicated DUI prosecutors who handle DUI cases at the magistrate court level; the Berkeley County Solicitor’s Office, as part of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, also handles the prosecution of all General Sessions level DUI-related arrests that occur in Berkeley County.
The role of the special DUI prosecutor is to review and prepare for court all pending alcohol- and drug-related driving arrest charges made by Berkeley County Sheriff’s deputies. Prior to hiring a special DUI prosecutor, Berkeley County deputies represented their cases in court and were matched up against experienced DUI defense attorneys. As a result, the criminal charges were often pled down or dropped.
“Our chief duty in law enforcement is to serve and protect our citizens. Through this grant, we believe we can better combat the serious crime of driving under the influence and more successfully prosecute DUI cases in court—ultimately enhancing the level of safety on our streets and saving more lives,” said Sheriff Duane Lewis.
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