PINCKNEYVILLE-- A local police officer is disciplined after dash cam video shows him letting a prominent citizen off the hook.

It was along Highway 154 in Pinckneyville early Thanksgiving morning, when Nolan Kellerman crashed his pick-up truck into a culvert. Veteran Pinckneyville Officer Jamie Benbrook arrived with dash cam video rolling. We can't hear their conversation outside the vehicle, but once inside, we hear everything. 29-year-old Kellerman admits he's been drinking.

"Yes I had alcohol in my system, but I did fall asleep," says Kellerman.

The high school teacher and coach doesn't waste any time asking for mercy, and uses his dad's position as Pinckneyville Mayor for leverage.

"Please don't write me up or anything, please," Kellerman begs.
"This goes no further than this (bleeping) car," says Benbrook.
"Alright, thank God," says Kellerman.
"And I'd lose my (bleeping) job alright," says Benbrook.
"You know my dad's the mayor?" asks Kellerman.
"I know," Benbrook replies.

Officer Benbrook doesn't do field sobriety or breathalyzer tests. Instead, he makes a phone call to Pincknevyille's school board president Nathan Kellerman, Nolan's brother, to get him away from the scene.

"Nolan fell asleep and ran off the road. I'll just say you came and picked him up and took him," Benbrook says on the phone.

Kellerman tells the officer he's injured and continues to bring up his father, August Kellerman.

"God, trust me. I'm going to pay for this with my...."
"Body?" asks Benbrook.
"Oh (bleep) yeah, and my dad... big time," says Kellerman.

When officer Benbrook writes the report, he says Kellerman swerved to miss a deer and hit a culvert. But Benbook suspects Kellerman was intoxicated, handing down this lecture:

"Man, let this be a learning lesson. Don't (bleeping) drink and drive, dude. Period," says Benbrook.
"I know that, but I did," says Kellerman.
"I know. It don't matter if a trooper or a sheriff's deputy would have handled this, guess what..." says Benbrook.
"I know, I owe you one," says Kellerman.

Pinckneyille Police Chief John Griffin tells News 3 Benbrook should have notified another agency.

"What he should have done is notified state police and let them handle it. It's just unfortunate this officer happened to run across the mayor's son," says Griffin.

Griffin says the officer used poor judgment, and didn't follow policy.

"It's quite clear he didn't follow any of them (policies), and do the investigation the way it should have been done," he says.

Griffin says Benbrook has been suspended, put on probation and ordered to DUI refresher training. Benbrook served his suspension today; ironically, the same day our story came out. News 3 did speak with Mayor August Kellerman and Nolan, but both declined to comment. State's Attorney David Stanton says he does not need a police citation to press charges, but has not seen the video yet.