In the world of law enforcement, nobody is above the law, not even the man who runs the department. September 21st, 2024, Springfield, Massachusetts. Officers find a luxury vehicle with a shredded tire and a destroyed rim outside a casino. But the real shock comes when they realize who the driver is. Nicholas Coochie, the sheriff of Hampton County. What follows is a masterclass in professional policing as a lieutenant refuses to give his boss a free pass. This is the arrest that divided a community. >> How you doing, Sheriff? >> Good. Very good. >> Good. Hi, Lieutenant Cory Mackey. Was that who's busting >> what? Change his tire. >> Okay, just to let you know, we came down to this. Uh, we are recording, just so you know. >> Uh, what happened? >> I was going to pop the tires. >> Do you know where? We're trying to We were looking to see where you were in the casino and everything and >> it's all good. >> It's all good. >> Change the tire. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> All right. The problem is, hang on for a second. Were you the one driving it? >> No. >> You weren't driving it? >> No. >> Okay. Who was driving you? >> A friend of mine. >> A friend of yours? He's in the casino now? >> Yeah. >> Okay. We'll see that, too. All right. But I need you to stay here for a second. All right. >> Sir, none of us wants to be involved in this. All right. But I can I can >> I can smell I can smell alcohol coming from your breath. I've got this right here. >> Everything's on camera. I got to take it by the numbers. They change the tire. >> I got to take it by the numbers. We're going to review. If your friend in there was driving to say we'll see it on the camera, I can go talk to him. Everything will be good. All right. What's that? Okay. >> Sheriff Coochie initially tries to brush it off, claiming a friend was driving, but the red flags are immediate. His speech is slurred, his eyes are red, and the smell of alcohol is unmistakable. Lieutenant Cory Mackey knows exactly who he's dealing with, but he stays by the book. I've got everything on camera, he tells the sheriff. This is the moment Coochie realizes that his title won't save him tonight. >> Heads tight. All right. Seriously? I'll tell you what. Leave the car here. Leave it. >> No, sir. I Sir, I'm going to ask you to stay here. Stay put. All right. Why? >> So we figure this out. >> Because based on what I'm seeing here and and and smelling alcohol on your breath, I'm going to have to do an investigation through this. Okay. >> All right. And if everything is fine, you know, if if if it determines that there's no >> change the tire. >> No, he's not changing the tire right now. Absolutely not. >> Change the tire. >> He's not changing the tire yet. >> Yeah. Okay. want to go down a road, huh? Okay. I want to take everything right by the numbers and by the book, sir. Okay. By the numbers and by the book, sir. >> That's what we do. That's correct. >> Yeah. >> Watch the sheriff's body language closely. He begins to move closer to the lieutenant, seemingly signaling for the body camera to be deactivated. In many departments, turning off a camera during a high-profile investigation is a career-ending move. Despite the pressure of arresting his superior, Lieutenant Mackey stands his ground. He refuses to take the conversation off the record, proving that transparency is the best defense against corruption. >> And if at the end of it, everything is good for you. No, >> sir. Sir, just stand over here for me. All right. Go back in the >> No, you're not going back to the casino. All right, sir. Sir, sir, I understand you are the sheriff. I respect that immensely. Right now, I'm conducting an investigation. >> Okay. I need you to stay here and follow the directions. >> All right. >> You can't pop a tire. Huh? >> What's that? >> You can't pop a tire. >> You're not going to be able to put a tire on that rim anyways. That rim is completely and utterly destroyed. >> I got my guy. >> Okay, sir. >> Okay. >> Where uh do you know where you raised something over? Where was it? >> Right up on the corner. And I I took the turn. took the turn into here. Yeah. >> The sheriff's story keeps changing. First, it was a friend driving. Then, he admits to hitting a curb. >> Okay. There looks like there's a plant on there. Was there a plant that >> might have been? >> Might have been. >> But that's where it was. So, the remnants of the tire should be down. Should be down that way. >> You don't know? >> I have no idea. >> Okay. >> Can I ask you where you're coming from today? >> Springfield Country Club. >> Springfield Country Club. >> Yeah. >> All right. the golf tournament. No, no, no. We were just there. Was there playing golf? They're playing golf. Okay. Yeah. >> What are you waiting for? >> I'm waiting for another another one of my supervisors. We can have two people here. Okay. Good. >> All right. That way everything's everything's recorded, everything, everything's going to be nice and easy. Okay, sir. >> All right, officer Cotto. >> Can you head down to the corner at East Columbus and just see if there's any remnants of the tire there at all? That's where you were and there was nothing there. Right. The right thing. >> May not be. >> May not be where you hit it. >> I swear I hit it, but >> Okay. Did you after turning in here and and hitting it, did you drive anywhere else where we could find the tire? No, >> no, it's a Okay, understand the tire should be somewhere between where that was hit and here. >> Okay, you just do me a favor one more time. Just walk down there and then walk the whole way back to see if we can find the tire. >> Appreciate your understanding. You're a good man. I appreciate your understanding. Someone coming over from here. Okay. We're going to take a walk over where we're a little bit out of sight. Okay. No. How much you have to drink tonight, sir? >> Couple beers. >> Couple beers. >> Yeah. >> Keep recording me. We're not going nowhere. >> Okay. I'd like to ask you to do field sobriety. >> Nope. Not going to happen. >> Not going to happen. >> I'm not driving. Feel soy for what? >> All right. What's that? Okay. Well, you drove in. That was long time ago. What's up, Nikki? I'm I'm by my car. All right. Sir, when you went into the casino, did you have any drinks in the casino? Negative. >> You did not have any drinks in the casino? >> Cuz that's what we're waiting on right now. We're trying to figure out if you went in and had anything inside. >> You had nothing inside. So, anything was at the golf course? >> Yep. >> Okay. All right. All right. Sh. Can you come over here? I want to talk to you a little bit more. All right. I'd like you I'm going to be very straightforward with you. All right. You came from East Columbus. You turned in here. We can't find the tire. That's fine. There's clear indications that that >> rim is pretty destroyed. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> Um >> you got here about 6:40 something 6:45. So maybe 25 minutes before you and I start interacting. Somewhere around a half hour. >> You've got clear indications of alcohol consumption. All right. I can tell that you're Yep. You've had mid alcohol consumptions. You got your speech's a little bit slurred. All right. Right. I can smell it coming off your breath. I can see the redness in your eyes. I'd ask you to be I'm going to ask you a second time if you will perform field soiety so I can determine if you are safe >> to drive. Okay. I have a PBT that can short this out right now. >> Not going to happen. >> Okay. So, you're going to refuse field sobriety. All right. You're not going to take the BBT. You're mid alcohol consumption. All right. >> A little bit. >> Driving. Okay. >> Okay. When asked to perform a field sobriety test, he flat out refuses. In Massachusetts, an OUI refusal comes with an immediate license suspension. For a sitting sheriff, this is a public relations nightmare. The lieutenant has no choice. The cuffs come out. For the first time in his career, Nicholas Coochie is on the other side of the law. Your wallet's inside the car. We're going to go ahead and grab that for you. Okay. All right, officer. Can you take Can you just sit with him for a minute? I'll take him to my cruiser. All right. So, this is your wallet right here. All right. What I'm going to do is I'm going to put it in your pocket so you have it with you. Is there a phone somewhere that you'd like to bring? Uh, in my pocket in your pocket. All right. Can I put this 10 in your vehicle so we don't have to take it? All right. So, you got your wallet over here. This is your phone right in the back. Right. This is just a a golf tea. I'm going to put that right in here as well. >> Okay. All right. We're going to walk down to my unmarked uh sergeant. I'm going have you come with me as well. >> All right. Let him fix it. >> No. No, if they're if they're if they're able to fix it. Okay, >> we don't need to we don't need to tow tow a county vehicle. If they're if he's able to fix it and we can get somebody who is properly can drive it. All right, the keys are inside there. See him for a sec. >> Sir, the keys are right in the middle. Uh there's also a $50 bill. Do you want me to leave that in there? >> Yeah. >> Or do you want it with you? You're comfortable. Who do you want to take possession of that vehicle? Is it okay you're that gentleman right there works for you? >> He does. And they can arrange for someone to take it. Yep. That's fine. We can get out of here properly. That's fine. Right. Come on down. It's going to be the black SUV at the very end. We're going to go right around. We'll put you in the front passenger seat. Right. I think I have a jacket on there. Just make sure. Nope. Nothing's there. >> It's actually pink. Oh, careful. You just Yeah, you can move anything over there and just ride with me. We are trying to backtrack the path of the vehicle involved in the incident this evening. We did come across a vehicle with scrapes on it that does appear fresh. However, it has both white and hints of red to it. In the center line of the road, there are scrapes that appear consistent also with the tire rim that we have viewed up ahead. We're going to walk up looking at those scrapes as well. More scrapes in the middle of the roadway, consistent path. More scrapes in the middle of the roadway, consistent with path. >> Later that night, investigators found scrape marks on the road leading all the way back to the casino. These marks were consistent with a rim being driven without a tire. It appears the sheriff didn't just pop a tire. He drove for miles on a bare rim, potentially endangering everyone on the road. Despite the evidence he was only charged with OUI, raising questions about whether he still received some form of leniency. To his credit, Sheriff Cuchi took full responsibility. He was suspended without pay, paid for the vehicle repairs, and attended a DUI education program. Today, he remains the sheriff and was even appointed vice president of the state sheriff's association. Is this a story of redemption or a sign of a broken system? You decide. Hit the like button if you think the lieutenant did the right thing and subscribe to Body Cam Pulse for