State opens investigation into Jasper Co. treasurer for misuse of public funds
The Jasper County treasurer, under investigation for a text in which he allegedly threatened other county staff with gun violence, will now face a state law enforcement probe over what officials describe as the “misappropriation of public funds.”
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened this second investigation on Monday after receiving a request from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 9, according to a spokesperson with the agency. Both investigations are active and ongoing.
Michael Skinner, the county’s elected treasurer, allegedly issued “impermissible” bonus payments to his staff despite prior warnings that such payments were not allowed, according to county officials.
In a 2023 letter to county council, the county attorney said he had received inquiries about how funds collected by the treasurer from license plate renewal decals were being allocated, according to county records. The letter stated that Skinner believed these funds could be used to supplement his staff’s salaries, including his own.
The attorney wrote that awarding bonuses for past work would be “improper” and that elected officials are not permitted to grant bonuses to themselves. Still, Skinner allegedly requested $750 bonuses for his four staff members and a $1,000 bonus for himself in 2023, according to emails released by the county.
On Dec. 12, Jasper County Council had a special-called meeting where they passed an emergency measure to protect county staff as a result of the threatening message sent by Skinner.
In the message, sent on a messaging system called Telegram, Skinner told Council member Chris VanGeison that he “Seriously want to walk up to that third floor and empty five (expletive) clips into both them sorry (expletive) (expletive). I’d feel nothing but recoil and a profound sense that something good finally happened in this (expletive) hole … Yes. It is that bad. They have made it that God damn miserable for me and my team down here,” according to county documents.
When reached by phone Monday, VanGeison said that he received the message around Dec. 1 and sat on it for a few days before turning it over to the Jasper County Sheriff. The councilman described Skinner as a friend and said that while it was a hard decision to make, he was concerned about others’ safety, especially with recent examples of gun violence.
It is unclear as to why concerns about the bonus payments were only recently discussed by council members, since they allegedly took place in 2023. VanGeison, who took office in 2024, said he only found out about the bonuses recently when he brought forward the message exchange with the treasurer.
