Fish Smell Incident
Former South Carolina Detective Fired After Allegedly Pulling Gun on Officer Over Fish Smell
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A Myrtle Beach police detective pulled his gun on a fellow officer — over the smell of microwaved fish. Michael Richard DeBiase, 46, allegedly drew and pointed his department-issued handgun at a colleague who was warming up fish in a shared microwave at MBPD headquarters on May 30, according to SLED.
Within 72 hours, DeBiase was fired and arrested. He was booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Horry County and later released on a $5,000 cash surety bond, WMBF News reported.
Fish in the Microwave Leads to Felony Charges
The confrontation happened inside the Ted C. Collins Law Enforcement Center at 1101 North Oak Street. A fellow officer — identified in the arrest warrant as a Patrolman First Class — was reheating fish in a communal microwave. DeBiase allegedly confronted him over the odor, then drew his gun and pointed it at him, according to SLED.
DeBiase faces one felony count of pointing and presenting a firearm at a person. Under South Carolina law — specifically SC Code § 16-23-410 — it is a felony to point a gun at another person, loaded or not, outside of self-defense. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, according to The Sun News.
MBPD Fired DeBiase Three Days After the Incident
MBPD placed DeBiase on administrative leave immediately after the May 30 incident. The department's Office of Professional Standards launched an internal review. Within three days, investigators found "several policy violations" and DeBiase was terminated, Action News JAX reported.
The department also asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division — the state's top investigative agency — to handle the criminal case. SLED issued an arrest warrant on the morning of June 2. MBPD said the incident "does not reflect the values demonstrated by the men and women of the MBPD every day."
Residents React: Fish Smell No Excuse for a Firearm
The story quickly spread nationwide, partly because office microwave etiquette is something almost everyone relates to. Myrtle Beach resident Charles Devine told reporters: "Although I don't condone heating up fish in the microwave because I can see why everyone would be upset, I don't think it warrants pulling a firearm," according to WSBTV.
Legal analysts noted that the trivial trigger makes the case worse, not better. A law enforcement officer drawing a service weapon in a non-threat environment is seen as a catastrophic failure of judgment. The 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office will handle the prosecution going forward, according to KIRO 7.
A Career-Ending Case With Lasting Consequences
A felony conviction under SC Code § 16-23-410 would permanently ban DeBiase from working in law enforcement. At 46, and with a termination tied to multiple policy violations, finding work at any South Carolina police agency would be nearly impossible, according to WHIO.
The speed of the process — from incident to arrest in just three days — signals a zero-tolerance stance from MBPD leadership. Handing the criminal investigation to SLED rather than handling it internally also shows the department wanted to avoid any appearance of protecting one of its own detectives, WOKV reported.
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