Horry Police deputy chief retires. Is it due to internal affairs investigation?

Horry County Police Department’s deputy chief is stepping down. The announcement comes after the department reported it launched an internal investigation over policy violations in 2022.

Horry County Police Chief Kris Leonhardt in an email on Tuesday thanked Deputy Chief Lance Winburn for his service. The announcement came in the same email regarding an internal affairs investigation launched earlier this month.

The department conducted an internal investigation into a June 2022 arrest incident after a request was made under the Freedom Of Information Act for documents related to the arrest, the statement said. The investigation found that the department had violated its policies in relation to that incident, according to Leonhardt’s statement.

It is unclear from the statement what the 2022 arrest was and Winburn’s involvement. A message left for Horry County Public Information Director Thomas Bell was not returned.

“Our officers must adhere to all policies and fulfill their duties in accordance to the oath they are sworn to,” Leonhardt wrote. “HCPD is full of professional, dedicated officers that serve this community every day.”

Winburn is the second deputy chief to retire at the department in a year under a cloud of alleged misconduct in the department.

Former Deputy Chief Brandon Strickland was forced to retire in March after he was accused of misconduct. Strickland was one of five officers who were part of an internal investigation in the case of Scott Spivey, a 33-year-old North Carolinia man who was shot and killed in September 2023.