A Texas trooper was given a reprimand and ordered to undergo professional counseling after posing with rapper Snoop Dogg at a music festival in Austin. The trooper's lawyer says that's not right.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Department of Public Safety Trooper Billy Spears said he was on duty at the South by Southwest festival two weeks ago when the rapper took a liking to his Stetson hat, and asked if they could pose for a photo.
Spears said that Snoop's publicist took the photo. It was soon posted for the musician's 4.4 million Instagram followers with the caption, "Me n my deputy dogg."
Department of Public Safety and Transportation officials soon saw the photo, and ordered Spears into counseling.
"While working a secondary employment job, Trooper Spears took a photo with a public figure who has a well-known criminal background including numerous drug charges. The public figure posted the photo on social media and it reflects poorly on the agency," the reprimand read.
Snoop Dogg has been convicted multiple times for drug possession, and was acquitted of a murder charge against a rival gang member in the early 1990s.
While DPS said that the reprimand does "not constitute formal discipline by the department," Spear's attorney, Ty Clevenger, said it will be noted on his personnel record, and that Spears has no way of appealing it — he must follow the order.
Furthermore, Clevenger said that Spears had no idea who Snoop Dogg was, nor that he had a criminal record.
"Troopers get called down to work these events all the time and sometimes people want a picture with them," Clevenger said.
"Would the DPS hierarchy get so bent out of shape about a picture with Willie Nelson?"
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