Former SC officers claim Sheriff’s Office ‘dishonest’ in media. They want names cleared
.JPG "J. Reuben Long Detention Center")
Two former Horry County Sheriff’s Office employees are suing the department and J. Reuben Long Detention Center for defamation, claiming that officials knowingly released false information about the officers to local media.
The Sheriff’s Office does not comment on pending litigation, according to an email from Public Information Officer Brennan Cavanagh.
Sheriff’s department officials conducted an internal investigation into alleged misconduct committed by William McMeins and Michael Bryant, according to the suit filed Nov. 7. The investigation concluded that the two men had committed “an act of dishonesty,” the suit said.
The Solicitor’s Office declined to bring criminal charges against the officers based on the investigation, but the defendants failed to rescind or correct the records associated with findings against the officers, the suit said.
The suit claims the defendants generated records that contained false “damaging and defamatory findings” that were then reported by Horry County media from Nov. 9, 2022, through Nov. 11, 2022.
Scott Hayes, attorney for both men, said Friday that the lawsuit is a further attempt to clear the officers’ names. Both men were affected by news stories, which has brought emotional and financial harm, including affecting their ability to obtain jobs, Hayes said.
Hayes said the men are also seeking to have their “reputations restored,” and be compensated for the damages the false information caused.
McMeins was reinstated after successfully appealing the allegations, The Sun News reported. The state Law Enforcement Training Council ruled in March of 2023 to restore McMeins’ certification and expunge the misconduct allegations from his justice academy records.
The Sun News reported on Nov. 9, 2022, that the officers had resigned earlier in 2022 after an internal investigation by the Sheriff’s Office determined they intentionally misled a judge to obtain search and arrest warrants.
McMeins and Bryant both separated from the office in May 2022, with each separation described as a “resignation involving misconduct,” according to records filed with the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy.
McMeins was a sergeant with the department and had a law enforcement career that has spanned 39 years, before joining the Sheriff’s Office in 2015. Bryant had worked at the detention center since 2008 before his resignation.
The internal investigation was in response to a citizen complaint against McMeins regarding three separate incidents, Cavanagh had said previously. Two people were arrested as a result of the former officers’ investigation and those charges were later dismissed.
This story was originally published November 11, 2024 at 8:22 AM.
