A member of the Chapel Hill Fire Department is on administrative leave after resisting arrest and being publicly intoxicated in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The Horry County Sheriff’s Office reports 39-year-old Jesse Torchia was booked in its detention center on Saturday, July 31, for charges of resisting arrest and public disorderly conduct. Torchia, who is listed as a resident of Fuquay-Varina, is a captain with Chapel Hill Fire and has worked at the department since 2009.
A video publicly shared on Facebook Saturday night shows a man who appears to be Torchia shouting and swearing at employees of Hoto’s Restaurant and Beach Bar in North Myrtle Beach. In the recording, employees ask the man several times to leave the premises, with the man refusing and challenging them to a fight. Upon arrival of police officers, the video shows the man continuing to shout and argue before turning to enter a gated area. At that point, the recording shows officers moving to arrest the man, the man resisting arrest and the trio wrestling on the ground before he is detained.
The end of the recording shows the man taken back through the restaurant in handcuffs and other patrons cheering his departure.
Torchia posted bail at the Horry County detention center early Sunday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.
“After his arrest, [Torchia] was placed on administrative leave without pay,” Ran Northam, a spokesperson for the Town of Chapel Hill and its public safety departments, said to Chapelboro on Wednesday.
Northam said there is no timetable on how long administrative leave traditionally lasts in such cases.
As of Wednesday, Torchia faces two criminal/traffic jury trials in the 15th Judicial Circuit of South Carolina. Each are scheduled for November 15.
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