According to reports and 911 calls, Officer Travis Abbott took a drunken driving suspect to the hospital around 1:30 a.m. to have his blood drawn. A nurse reportedly refused to test the man's blood because Officer Abbott allegedly did not have the proper paperwork.
During a confrontation that followed, Officer Abbott allegedly handcuffed a hospital official. Another nurse dialed 911 and Smithfield police and sheriff's deputies responded. When they arrived, the hospital official was released from the handcuffs.
Bowen said Abbott is a senior officer and in charge of other officers on weekends in absence of the on-duty sergeant. He's been with the department for several years.
The chief said he assigned two detectives to the incident to see if any policies or procedures were violated.
"After our internal investigation, Officer Travis Abbott, has been demoted from a senior patrol officer to a patrolman," said Bowen.
With information from Mickey Lamm/WTSB Radio
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