By Brian McConchie
Friday, October 30, 2009 at 5:35 p.m.
Read more: Local, State, Columbia, Police, Roland Corning, Cemetary, Sex, Dashcam, Video
COLUMBIA, SC - Columbia police have released dashcam video of a traffic stop involving former deputy attorney general Roland Corning and an 18-year-old stripper.
The video shows multiple patrol cars responding to Wayne Street in Columbia, which is near the Elmwood Cemetary. Monday afternoon, police say Corning was spotted in a secluded area of the cemetary known for sex and drug activity. An incident report says Corning sped away when officers tried to approach him.
Investigators say they found several sex toys and Viagra in Corning's car. The Attorney General's office fired the 66-year-old hours after learning about the incident, but he was not ticketed by police. That has raised questions about whether Corning received special treatment due to his status.
Columbia Police Chief Tandy Carter told reporters during a Wednesday press conference the actions of officer Michael D. Wines were "textbook perfect" and that video footage would show "there is absolutely nothing to be embarassed about" the department's response.
WACH FOX News had requested the dashcam video multiple times since Wednesday. The city attributes the two-day delay to a legal review of the footage.
The roughly 18-minute video shows several patrol cars involved in stopping Corning, questioning him and searching his vehicle. However, there is no audio on the tape documenting conversations between Corning and the responding officers. Also, the video provided comes from one patrol-car camera. City officials tell WACH FOX News that there is no audio of the conversations because the responding officer did not have a body microphone.
Roland Corning is a former state legislator who served in the 1990s and had served in the Attorney General's office since 2000.