For 20 months, Chattanooga Police Officer Lee Mayweather climbed behind the wheel of a police cruiser each work day.

He made arrests. He patrolled the streets. He answered calls. He wrote traffic tickets.

What department officials say they did not know is that Mayweather, was driving without a valid Tennessee driver’s license because he was behind in child support payments.Mayweather, 43, a nine year veteran at the department, issued 23 tickets to other drivers for the same offense he was violating during that time period, city court records show.

“He should be … totally legal,” said Harry Swanger, 82, who received a $119 speeding ticket from Mayweather last fall during a traffic sting.

Officials say revoking a parent’s driver’s license over non-payment of child support is a last resort. 

“If a citizen’s driver license is suspended due to child support, that suspension remains until the child support issue has been handled,” Dalya Qualls, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said.

For a parent to have a license revoked for non-payment, they must be late by $500 for each of the last three months and they must fail to respond to a certified letter, according to Tennessee Department of Human Services spokeswoman Devin Stone. 

Mayweather had his license revoked for non-payment of child support beginning in July 2012, Qualls confirmed.

Driving without a valid license is a Class B misdemeanor which carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and/or$500 fine in Tennessee.

Officers have the discretion to make an arrest or issue citations. 

“For the most part an officer has full discretion when he makes that stop. He can arrest you for driving on revoked or he can give you a citation that will allow you to turn yourself in at some later time,” said Gerald Webb, a local defense attorney.

It’s also possible that Chattanooga police officers can cite drivers through city court where the penalty is a $50 fine and court costs, Webb added.

Mayweather made no arrests for driver’s license violations but did issue traffic tickets for the offense during that time period. 

Department officials ordered Mayweather to stop driving his department issued car and ride with another officer during shifts, emails show  (WRCB-TV)