SC sheriff and former deputy indicted on multiple charges, attorney general says
The Marlboro County sheriff and a former deputy in his department were charged with multiple crimes, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said Tuesday.
Marlboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon and former Deputy David Andrew Cook were both charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and misconduct in office, the Attorney General’s Office said in a news release.
Because of the indictments, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster suspended Lemon and appointed an interim sheriff.
On May 3, 2020, Lemon ordered then-deputy Cook to use his taser on Jarrel Lee Johnson at the Marlboro County Detention Center and unlawfully continued to activate the taser at least two times after the initial taser deployment to subdue the suspect while inside the jail, according to an indictment.
An initial report from the sheriff’s office said Johnson was not injured, according to WBTW. But the indictment said Cook deployed his taser into Johnson’s chest and leg, and the assault was likely to produce great bodily injury or death.
Johnson, who survived that incident, was on the floor crawling away from the officers, Attorney General’s Office spokesman Robert Kittle told The State.
Marlboro County court records show charges of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and assault on a police officer while resisting arrest are still pending against Johnson. They are being prosecuted by the local solicitor, Kittle said.
After suspending Lemon, McMaster appointed former Bennettsville Chief of Police Larry McNeil to serve as interim sheriff.
McNeil, 68, served as the Bennettsville police chief from 2000-16 and most recently served as the S.C. Department of Social Services director of employee safety and law enforcement liaison, holding that position until 2021, the Governor’s Office said.
McNeil will remain sheriff “until Lemon is acquitted, convicted, the indictment is otherwise disposed of, or until a sheriff is elected and qualifies in the next general election,” the Governor’s Office said.
Lemon has been the Marlboro County sheriff since 2017, after serving 12 years as the chief deputy. Prior to that, Lemon was the police chief in Society Hill, South Carolina, for four years.
Cook is no longer employed in law enforcement, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
If convicted on the felony assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature charge, both Lemon and Cook face a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison, according to South Carolina law. A conviction on the misdemeanor common law misconduct in office charge could mean a maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars, the Attorney General’s Office said.
Three Marlboro County investigators resigned from the sheriff’s office last week, WPDE reported. Information about why the investigators resigned was not available.
According to WPDE, one investigator posted on social media about the resignation, saying, “Today was my last day wearing this badge. Today I chose my character over corruption. Today I chose my integrity over my income. Today I chose to walk away. I tried to stand up to a historically oppressive and systemically racist institution and tried to be a change and tried to make a change.”
In 2018, a gun was stolen from Lemon’s patrol car while he stayed overnight at the Columbia Embassy Suites hotel for a training seminar, The State previously reported.
Lemon told The State his car was locked and the gun was concealed. The weapon was returned to the sheriff, and a Rock Hill resident was charged in the crime.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published December 14, 2021 at 12:34 PM with the headline "SC sheriff and former deputy indicted on multiple charges, attorney general says."
