A South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles employee was arrested Tuesday and charged with accepting bribes in exchange for giving would-be drivers passing marks on their tests, according to a news release from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Agents with SLED charged Othinell Arthur Jenkins III with three felony counts of Receiving Anything of Value to Influence Action of Public Employee.
The investigation was conducted at the request of the DMV.
Jenkins is accused of accepting concert tickets in March 2021 from a customer who “did not take/complete/pass” a road test to get a driver’s license. In exchange for the tickets, Jenkins allegedly issued the customer a driver’s license.
Also in March 2021, Jenkins is accused of taking around $60 from a customer to issue her a Commercial Driver’s License. The customer “did not take/complete/pass the CDL Combination Vehicle, Air Brakes nor the Knowledge Test,” according to Jenkins’ arrest warrants.
And finally, in April 2021, Jenkins is accused of accepting about $100 from a customer who failed the DMV’s “knowledge test,” making the customer ineligible for a Beginner’s Permit. In return for the money, Jenkins allegedly marked the customer as having passed the test and issued him a the permit.
All three incidents allegedly occurred at SCDMV, 228 O’Neil Court in Columbia.
Jenkins was booked into Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County on Tuesday.
Each count of bribery carries a sentence of up to 10 years and fines of up to $10,000. If Jenkins is found guilty he will be disqualified from working for a public agency.
Read the warrants here, here and here.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
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Liz Farrell is the new executive editor at FITSNews. She was named 2018’s top columnist in the state by South Carolina Press Association and is back after taking a nearly two-year break from corporate journalism to reclaim her soul. Email her at liz@fitsnews.com or tweet her @ElizFarrell.
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