Trooper who arrested NFL’s Montgomery fired

The Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina state trooper who arrested NFL defensive lineman Sam Montgomery at a traffic stop last June has been fired.

The state Department of Public Safety said Friday that Lance Cpl. R.S. Salter was terminated for violating agency policies including conduct unbecoming a state employee. Salter stopped Montgomery in June when the Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman was returning to his Greenwood home.

Montgomery was arrested and spent a night in jail after Salter clocked him going 89 mph in a 55 mph zone. But the trooper’s dashboard camera also captured the officer threatening to use a Taser because the 6-foot-3, 262-pound lineman was struggling to understand his commands.

The agency said Salter’s interaction with Montgomery was inconsistent with how troopers are trained to conduct themselves during such traffic stops.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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