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by ANDY FANCHER
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A lieutenant with the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was arrested last week for allegedly driving under the influence — marking the second SLED agent terminated for a DUI involving a state-issued vehicle in just over a year.
Lt. Jefferson Keith Dorman, 34, was arrested by troopers of the S.C. Highway Patrol (SCHP) on Thursday (July 10, 2025) and booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center around 9:53 p.m. EST, according to jail records.
According to a SLED spokeswoman, Dorman was driving his state-issued vehicle at the time of the arrest. Judicial records indicate he refused a field sobriety test.
In a statement provided to FITSNews, SLED emphasized Chief Mark Keel’s “zero-tolerance policy for DUI,” further stating that Dorman was “immediately terminated at the Spartanburg County Detention Center by a SLED supervisor.”
As for the vehicle? It was recovered by SLED personnel at the scene.
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Following his on-the-spot termination, Dorman was granted a $992 personal recognizance bond by Magistrate Billy Odom Jr. on July 11, 2025, and released later that morning.
SCHP was not immediately available for comment regarding the specifics of Dorman’s arrest.
Exactly one year earlier, FITSNews exclusively reported on the arrest of another SLED lieutenant — Mark R. Berube — who was stopped for speeding in a state-issued vehicle by an officer with the S.C. State Transport Police (SCSTP).
After the officer detected the odor of alcohol, Berube was asked to perform a standard field sobriety test — and failed.
As with anyone accused of committing any crime, Dorman is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as he may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against him.
This story may be updated.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
(Dynal Nolan/FITSNews)
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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3 comments
Can’t say that I blame them for drinking. When you consider what SLED and its Agents were in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s; versus what they are today, it’s no wonder they drink.
In those days, most cops in the state wanted to work for SLED or at least be like them. Today, many Agents crave a taste of actual police work.
Pity…
Need to look no further than certain command staff members (one in particular) who are driving veteran agents to retire and young agents to the bottle. They have Keel fooled because they control access to him and threaten agents if they try to complain. They also control the complaint apparatus making it impossible for issues to come to light.
So very true! Maybe he will read these comments!