Ex-Horry official admitted crossing line with employee in harassment response
A former Horry County deputy administrator admitted crossing boundaries with a female subordinate before retiring earlier this year, according to a statement he provided to county human resource employees.
The statement from Randy Webster, the county’s then-head of public safety, was among a handful of records the county released Thursday surrounding the recent highly publicized resignations of Webster, four police officers and the public information officer.
Webster’s statement was in response to a detailed sexual harassment complaint filed by then-Investigator Kelsey Manemeit, one of the HCPD officers who was forced to resign Nov. 6. The county also released Manemeit’s statement to HR describing the alleged harassment.
Manemeit and Mikayla Moskov, the former county PIO who was also forced to resign, are suing Webster, the county, HCPD and its chief, alleging they were retaliated against for reporting Webster’s inappropriate behavior.
In her Oct. 16 statement, Manemeit details numerous text messages she exchanged with Webster since he recruited her to work for the department beginning in May 2025. He regularly texted her early in the morning before work and late at night after work, according to her statement, including messages about him having dreams about Manemeit, calling her “beautiful and desirable,” and asking her if he should also feel desirable.
Manemeit also told HR officials that Webster kissed her on the cheek on multiple occasions, including after a meeting with Horry County Schools board members and during Fall Bike Week when he also told her, “I love you.”
“I feel like I can’t do my job without being pulled away for something that he needs or he just needs to hear my voice,” Manemeit said in her statement.
Webster issues his statement to HR officials on Oct. 17, the same day he announced his retirement, citing health concerns.
Webster said he didn’t realize he was making Manemeit uncomfortable until about a week earlier, when she told him his comments made her “uneasy,” and he immediately stopped as a result, according to his statement.
Webster had known Manemeit before she began working for the county because she was his neighbor, and he considered her a close friend, he noted in his statement.
He admitted kissing her on the cheek, but said it was always in a friendly manner, and he recalled asking and receiving permission from her to do so. Webster denied ever intending to make a sexual advancement toward Manemeit, according to his statement.
Members of the county’s infrastructure and regulation committee recently voted to remove Webster’s name from the Randall S. Webster Emergency Operations and Communications Center in light of the recent controversy. That removal still requires approval from the full county council.
A few weeks after Webster announced his retirement, the county announced Moskov, Manemeit and three other HCPD officers had resigned amid an internal investigation that found they’d violated “conduct unbecoming” policy. A report released described varying sexual relationships among the employees.
The county has denied that the investigation and allegations against Webster were related.
As part of her lawsuit, Moskov alleged defamation, claiming the report the county released included false information about her having a sexual relationship with an HCPD officer.
Among the records the county released Thursday were statements from Moskov and then-HCPD Sgt. Torry Lewis. They both describe a single, personal, off-duty interaction, though their statements are conflicting on the exact nature and timing of that interaction.
