In December 2018, Lieutenant Richard Penson was involved in a hit-and-run incident where he struck a 3-year-old child’s foot with his personal vehicle in a daycare parking lot. Penson was off-duty at the time and left the scene without reporting the incident. He was charged with reckless driving, hit-and-run, and second-degree cruelty to children, leading to his termination from the Rome Police Department.