Former Bluffton police officer who was fired for misconduct now faces criminal indictments
A former Bluffton police officer faces criminal charges two years after being accused of discarding evidence and interfering in the court case of someone he was romantically involved with, according to documents.
Robert Harman, 39, of Bluffton was arraigned Thursday on indictments of one count of misconduct in office and one count of obstruction of justice. He pleaded not guilty.
In January 2020, the Bluffton Police Department fired Harman after an internal investigation revealed “Officer Harman did in fact discard evidence that was detrimental to a DRE (Drug Recognition Expert) case,” a document submitted by the department to the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy said.
The document goes on to say Harman “began to have a relationship with the same person who was involved in the case.” More specifically, he was accused of “having sexual relations with someone he had arrested/transported.”
“Finally it was found that Officer Harman interjected himself in the lawful process of court without recusing himself for the same case,” the document signed by former Bluffton Police Chief Christopher Chapmond said.
The department contacted the S.C. Law Enforcement Division and the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office to open an investigation. Two years later, the allegations were brought to a Beaufort County grand jury. On Jan. 13, the grand jury indicted Harman on two counts.
The indictments don’t contain any description of what Harman is accused of doing, only that he allegedly obstructed justice and engaged in misconduct in office.
While 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone signed off on the indictments, the case will be prosecuted by Michael Spears from the First Circuit Solicitor’s Office, according to 14th Circuit spokesperson Jeff Kidd.
Kidd said Stone’s office sought to avoid a conflict of interest because Harman worked for Bluffton Police, an agency that works with prosecutors on cases in the circuit, so Stone’s agency handed the case off.
Harman in court
Harman no longer works as a police officer. He still lives in Bluffton and now works in construction, according to his lawyer, Jim Brown of Law Offices of Jim Brown, P.A. in Beaufort.
In court Thursday, Harman turned himself in after learning a warrant was issued for his arrest saying he failed to show up for court on his indicted charges.
Brown said Harman was never served with the indictments and only found out about it when a warrant was drawn up.
A prosecutor asked Judge R. Ferrell Cothran, Jr. for a surety bond for Harman, requiring him to post money to get out of jail and ensure he comes back to court, according to Brown. They said it was because SLED couldn’t find Harman after the Jan. 13 indictments, Brown said.
“We pointed out his phone number was the same that he gave to (the Bluffton Police Department) … he has the same address as the one on the driver’s license,” Brown said.
Judge Cothran instead gave Harman two personal recognizance bonds, meaning he could leave jail and the courthouse without posting any money.
Past discipline
Harman is a graduate of The Citadel and a native-South Carolinian. He got his start in the Irmo Police Department in 2007, according to records.
Previous reporting in the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette newspapers revealed Harman had been disciplined by the agency he worked for prior to Bluffton Police.
Harman worked for the South Carolina State Transport Police from 2010-15. He resigned in 2015, pending an investigation. A spokesperson for the S.C. Department of Public Safety told the newspapers Harman received a reprimand in May 2015 for presenting himself as a supervisor to a member of the public when he was not.
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Additionally, Harman was asked to resign or be terminated from the Irmo Police Department, where he worked from 2007-09, according to his job application to Bluffton.
Harman disclosed in a letter that his ex-fiance and her new boyfriend had filed a complaint against him for harassment and stalking, leading to his departure from the department. He denied in the letter that ever occurred.
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 12:11 PM.
