A former Myrtle Beach police detective has agreed to plead guilty to a reduced charge after allegedly pointing his department-issued handgun at a fellow officer during an argument that started over microwaved fish. Michael DeBiase, 46, reached an agreement to plead guilty on October 23 and entered the plea on October 30, resolving a case that cost him his badge and, under the terms of the agreement, requires him to surrender his police certification and never seek reinstatement.
According to myrtlebeachonline.com, DeBiase agreed to plead guilty to a reduced charge of public disorderly conduct rather than the original firearm offense. An arrest warrant cited by the outlet says the confrontation began on May 30, when DeBiase confronted a fellow officer about warming up fish in a microwave, then allegedly pointed his department-issued handgun at the other officer.
From Firearm Charge to Disorderly Conduct
DeBiase was originally charged in June by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division with pointing and presenting a firearm at a person, the same report states. That charge has now been reduced as part of the plea agreement, and the outlet reports DeBiase will not serve jail time.
Reports differ on how to characterize a related $350 payment. As reported by WPDE, DeBiase pleaded guilty to public disorderly conduct and agreed to pay a $350 fee. A separate account from lehighvalleylive.com describes the same $350 sum as a fine tied to a period of probation.
Certification Surrendered for Good
Under the plea agreement, DeBiase will have to surrender his police certification, according to the same Myrtle Beach report. He has agreed never to seek reinstatement of the certification.
The Myrtle Beach Police Department placed DeBiase on administrative leave immediately following the May confrontation, per the outlet's reporting. The department's internal investigation identified policy violations, and officials said DeBiase was later fired as a result, ending a career that had reached the rank of detective.
What the Warrant Describes
The sequence laid out in the arrest warrant is straightforward: a workplace dispute over warmed-up fish escalated into DeBiase pointing his service weapon at a colleague inside the department. That single incident on May 30 triggered the administrative leave, the June firearm charge, and ultimately the guilty plea entered five months later, on October 30.
