Richland Co. Deputy suspended without pay

(Courtesy: RCSD/Twitter)

(Courtesy: RCSD/Twitter)

Richland Co., S.C. (WOLO)–Richland Co. Sheriff Leon Lott says a deputy is suspended without pay pending a criminal investigation.

Lott says Robert Oates was placed on suspension following the review of body camera footage of an incident Wednesday.

Officials say Oates was involved in an altercation with a man at the Richland County Magistrate Court on Decker Blvd. after the man became loud and boisterous toward a judge.

We’re told Oates has served in the sheriff’s department for 23 years.