An Eatonton Police officer who wrecked a patrol car along Lake Oconee Parkway last week has been fired from his job, but his boss is saying it wasn’t directly related to the crash.
Eatonton Police chief Kent Lawrence said Monday that he let Officer Ricky Mize go on Friday for “misuse of city property.”
Lawrence said on the day of the crash Mize was in uniform and was driving the cruiser in the Lake Oconee area, which is far beyond his jurisdiction. According to a strict office policy Lawrence said was made very clear, none of his officers are to be driving their patrol cars for personal use at any time or face termination.
“The situation was pretty much cut and dried as far as I am concerned,” Lawrence said. “He was out of the city’s jurisdiction, outside of his scheduled time to work, off the clock and driving a city-owned patrol car. That’s it in a nut shell.”
While Lawrence said he was concerned for Mize’s condition and was pleased that no one else was injured in the crash, he was not concerned about the inquiry by the Georgia State Patrol into the accident.
“That is also out of my jurisdiction,” Lawrence said.
According to Georgia State Trooper Brad Walker, it could take up to three months for a blood test to come back on Mize to determine whether he was under the influence of any substances at the time of the crash. However, Walker said a medical condition could have played a role in the crash. In addition, Walker said Mize indicated he was taking prescription medications.
Mize has a history of traffic accidents while in a patrol car stemming back to his career as an officer with the Milledgeville Police Department.
According to reports from various law enforcement officials, Mize was involved in at least seven crashes in the Baldwin County area while a deputy with the Milledgeville police.
Mize served in 1996 as acting sheriff in Putnam County after the arrest of Gene Resseau in 1995, and was the Republican candidate for the seat in 1996 when Howard Sills was elected to his first term. Mize ran against Sills for the seat again in 2000 and lost.
