An investigation of allegations made against members of the Horry County Police Department in an anonymous letter is finished and the department has been cleared of any wrong doing, said County Chairman Tom Rice.
The State Law Enforcement Division began an investigation after receiving a copy of the letter late last year.
“I’m thankful this issue is finally resolved,” Rice said Tuesday. “The men and women of the Horry County Police Department do a commendable job and put their lives on the line for us every day.
“I’m very grateful that this cloud that has been hanging over them has been lifted.”
Rice said he first learned the results of the investigation on Monday afternoon.
Lisa Bourcier, Horry County spokeswoman, said the S.C. Attorney General’s office, after reviewing SLED’s investigation, released a letter Feb. 2 saying the claims made in the anonymous letter lacked prosecutorial merit and won’t proceed further.
Calls to SLED officials weren’t returned Tuesday.
In October, Rice forwarded a letter to SLED after the majority of the County Council voted for an audit of the police department’s evidence room to clear questions raised in the anonymous letter concerning procedures and evidence handling at the Horry County Police Department.
Members of the Horry County Legislative Delegation also asked SLED officials to look into allegations made in the August letter.
Former Horry County Administrator John Weaver headed up an internal investigation on the county level into the claims made in the letter, which included allegations of theft from the police department’s evidence room.
Weaver concluded there was no basis for any of the nine allegations in the letter, but County Council members remained uneasy about the theft from the evidence room accusations, and requested the SLED audit.
Weaver told council members during a County Council meeting in October that he did not investigate the allegations of stealing because the claim was beyond the expertise of the human resources investigation.
Councilman Harold Worley said at the time the allegation of missing drugs and money from the Horry County Police Department’s evidence room was the most serious of all the claims. He recommended that Weaver contact S.C. Law Enforcement and have them do an audit of all materials, “just to clear the air.”
Eventually, the county approved for Rice to contact SLED and request an evidence room audit.
A month later, a separation agreement between Weaver and the county was approved on Nov. 15, ending Weaver’s 11 years of service as both administrator and county attorney.
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