Accused officer's court date bumped

North Charleston Police Officer Christine Phinney will have to wait another month to face her accusers in court in connection with a Christmas Eve pursuit through Summerville.

Scheduling problems bumped Phinney, 41, from a scheduled court date Monday where she was to face charges of reckless driving and disorderly conduct, authorities said. Her new court date is Feb. 22, according to Summerville Magistrate's Court.

Her lawyer, Robby Robbins, said such changes are routine. He declined to comment on the charges against her.

North Charleston police have been waiting for the charges to be resolved before deciding what disciplinary action to take. Phinney remains on administrative office duty while the case is pending, police public information officer Spencer Pryor said.

Phinney reportedly led officers on a brief chase through Summerville in a BMW and then scuffled with a Dorchester County sheriff's deputy on Hawthorne Avenue.

On police videotapes of the incident, Phinney can be heard telling Deputy Mike Files that she would give a fellow officer a free pass for speeding and that the deputy would "have a much bigger problem" when her husband arrived. Her husband, Tony Phinney, is a lieutenant at the Sheriff's Office.

On the tape, Files stated he was arresting her for resisting arrest and questioned how much she had to drink. The resisting charge was never filed, and Phinney's blood-alcohol level wasn't tested.

Officials have said that final charges are at an officer's discretion and that deputies might later have decided that a resisting count wasn't warranted.

Also, deputies need probable cause to file a charge before conducting a Breathalyzer test, and they said Phinney did not show signs of impairment.

Dorchester County authorities insist the incident was handled by the book.