Level Plains Police Chief placed on leave without pay following arrest

The city of Level Plains has placed Police Chief Billy Driggers on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of Driggers’ Oct. 4 arrest by Panama City Beach, Fla., police.

“The city of Level Plains will be cooperating and assisting with the ongoing investigation with Alabama and Florida law enforcement agencies,” said Level Plains Mayor Bruce Grantham in a statement issued following Driggers’ arrest in connection with the charges.

Grantham said that another police officer will be appointed to serve as acting police chief pending the resolution of the investigation.

“This incident will not affect current police department services to our citizens and Level Plains has the cooperation and support of the Dale County Sheriff's Office and the Alabama State Troopers during the period,” Grantham said.  “The City also has a mutual support agreement with our neighboring police departments in Daleville and Enterprise and we thank them as well.”

Driggers, 44, was arrested and charged with four counts of disorderly conduct on Oct. 4, according to a press release from the Panama City Beach Police Department.

The release said that PCBPD officers responded to a suspicious person call at the Aqua Condominium on Oct. 2, where they were advised by the security staff that a white male was seen by guests appeared to be masturbating by sticking his hand down his pants while watching females.

Officers located the man and identified him as Driggers, who was not a registered guest. The security asked for him to be removed from the property, according to the release.

Security at the venue viewed footage later in the day and reportedly identified three separate occasions where Driggers appeared to be masturbating in an elevator with guests present in the elevator, again, by placing his hand inside his pants, according to the report.

The release also stated that during the investigation, it was discovered that Driggers had appeared to be masturbating while walking behind teenage girls and was also observed filming or taking photos of the girls rinsing off in the outside showers.

There was no instance found by investigators where Driggers exposed his genitalia. However, according to the report, Driggers’ actions were found to be obscene and sexually deviant in nature thereby allowing investigators to obtain a warrant for Driggers arrest.

Driggers was arrested at the Level Plains Police Department.

He was taken to the Dale County Jail and is awaiting extradition to Bay County, Fla.