The audit report into Beaufort County’s spending mess under Greenway remains secret. Why?
Beaufort County’s long-awaited audit report on spending and contracts — a document produced as a result of “malfeasance” under former County Administrator Eric Greenway’s — remains under wraps after months of frustration and unanswered questions from taxpayers.
County Sheriff P.J. Tanner confirmed that he received the report in August after multiple requests and he forwarded it to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, which is reviewing it for evidence of criminal activity. Tanner had hoped to release the report to the public that same month, but explained Thursday that he is prohibited by law from releasing or discussing the report’s contents until a grand jury completes its work.
“We’ve been asked not to have any discussions about the content,” Tanner said. “I completely understand that, and I do not disagree with it, but the solicitor and I both felt that we should release it to the general public, and we were prepared to do so, until we were asked not to.”
Tanner’s frustration with the county’s initial delay in releasing the audit to his office has been well-documented. Beaufort County Council voted unanimously in August to release the report, but only after three separate requests from Tanner were initially blocked. Tanner has argued repeatedly that the public funds spent on an outside legal firm to produce the report would have been better used had it been made available to police months earlier.
The report, created by outside law firm Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, examined county contracts, purchases and other financial matters. A six-page executive summary included the statement “there was no evidence of criminal activity,” which Tanner questioned, noting his concerns over whether a law firm specializing in municipal and civil litigation has the expertise to reach that conclusion.
Tanner and 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone had advocated for making the report public, believing the community deserves transparency around the use of its tax dollars. However, once the report was handed to the Attorney General’s Office, they were instructed not to release any details or respond to questions about its contents. Although Tanner and Stone had been prepared to release the report, Tanner said, the Attorney General’s office’s confidentiality request took precedence.
With the report now under review by the Attorney General, Tanner’s office continues to provide relevant documents and information collected during its investigation. Tanner acknowledged that the grand jury’s timeline remains uncertain, and the public may need to wait for its findings.
This audit report adds to a growing list of controversies involving Beaufort County officials, as ethics violations and complaints continue to surface. For nearly two years, county leaders have awaited expected rulings from the state’s ethics commission on accusations against members of the county’s former administrative team. In late October, former Parks and Recreation Director Shannon Loper became the first employee to receive a ruling, with two ethics violations resulting in fines and sparking questions about what might come next.
Loper’s case is one of several ethics complaints impacting county officials. Former County Attorney Brittany Ward recently resigned amid unrelated scrutiny over a profitable land sale involving her family’s property, which was sold to Beaufort County at a significant gain while she held her official role. Ward’s departure follows the retirement of former County Attorney Thomas Keaveny, whose tenure was marked by controversies including his role in hiring practices and consulting contracts. Keaveny had been demoted and later reinstated as county attorney after backlash over a proposed ordinance to limit public speaking at council meetings.
These departures come as the county faces nine formal ethics complaints, including:
Three against former Parks and Recreation Director Shannon Loper
Two against former Administrator Eric Greenway
One against former Deputy Administrator Whitney Richland
One against Special Assistant to the County Administrator Hank Amundson
One against Assistant County Administrator for Infrastructure Jared Fralix (According to county spokesperson Hannah Nichols, the case was dismissed Sept. 13, though the state Ethics Commission would not confirm or deny this.)
One against former Capital Improvement Projects Director Eric Larson
To date, the ethics commission has only ruled on two of the complaints against Loper.
This story was originally published November 8, 2024 at 12:55 PM.
