Trooper cleared, wants his job back
STAFF, WIRE REPORTS

A South Carolina Highway Patrol officer from Gaffney was acquitted of an assault and battery charge following a jury trial in Myrtle Beach on Wednesday.

Lance Cpl. Christopher Mace, 32, was charged in May 2007 with assault and battery after he was accused of running his hands down the side of a 14-year-old girl and grabbing her in a Myrtle Beach restaurant.

Mace denied the claims and a jury acquitted him of the charge following less than 30 minutes of deliberations.

According to an incident report, Mace was at Broadway Louie's on Celebrity Circle to buy a pizza last May when the alleged incident occurred.

He told police he had approached the young woman, put his arm around her shoulders and told her she had done a good job singing karaoke. He told police he then walked away.

The teen told police Mace walked up behind her, ran his hands down her sides and grabbed her rear with both hands.

Mace called the teen's allegation a case of mistaken identity.

Following the acquittal, Mace's defense attorney, Morgan Martin, said Mace plans to ask for his job back. Mace had been suspended without pay.

At the time he was charged, Mace was working out of Spartanburg Troop Three headquarters.