Horry County officer charged with not investigating child sex crimes gets $300 fine
A disgraced Horry County police officer paid a $300 fine to settle 16 counts of misconduct in office for not investigating child abuse and other cases.
On Monday, Todd Cox pleaded guilty to a lone charge of misconduct in office, according to Horry County court records. A judge sentenced him to one year in jail and a $300 fine, but suspended the jail time for payment of the fine.
Cox paid a total of $747.50 in fines and court costs, records indicate.
Four Horry County police officers - Cox, Luke Green, Allen Large and Darryl Williams - were indicted in September 2016 on dozens of charges of misconduct in office. Cox faced a total of 16 charges.
Green’s record was expunged after he entered a pre-trial diversion program. Large died in January 2018. Williams’ charges remain active, according to court records.
After the plea, the state dropped 15 of the 16 misconduct in office counts against Cox. The former detective started in 1996 and left Horry County police in May 2016.
Monday’s plea was the first action in the criminal case since January 2017.
His attorney Morgan Martin provided a statement to The Sun News after the plea, which was not announced beforehand.
“Todd is glad to have this behind him,” Martin said. “He dedicated 22 years of tireless service to the community and we feel that a small fine as assessed by the court is a proper resolution.”
Officials from Horry County police did not respond in time for this report. The South Carolina Attorney’s General Office which prosecuted the case decline to comment after the plea.
Investigators say that Cox failed to investigate dozens of cases while serving as a detective with Horry County police. The indictments detail a lengthy list of misconduct. They allege that Cox did the following:
- Indictment 1: Failed to investigate 18 cases.
- Indictment 2: Unassigned himself from a criminal sexual conduct case.
- Indictment 3: Unassigned himself from a criminal sexual conduct case.
- Indictment 4: Unassigned himself from a criminal sexual conduct case.
- Indictment 5: Unassigned himself from a criminal sexual conduct case.
- Indictment 6: He closed an attempted murder case without investigating.
- Indictment 7: Unassigned himself from a child abuse case.
- Indictment 8: Unassigned himself from a shooting into a home case.
- Indictment 9: Unassigned himself from an overdose case.
- Indictment 10: He closed a cruelty to children case without investigating.
- Indictment 11: He closed a kidnapping case without investigating.
- Indictment 12: He closed a criminal sexual conduct case without investigating.
- Indictment 13: He closed a sexual exploitation of a minor without investigating.
- Indictment 14: He closed an armed robbery case without investigating.
- Indictment 15: He closed a lynching case without investigating.
- Indictment 16: He closed a criminal sexual conduct case without investigating.
The scandal involving the four officers led to several changes in the Horry County Police Department.
Then-Chief Saundra Rhodes oversaw Horry County police while the four disgraced officers worked in the department. She abruptly announced her retirement, saying she wanted to spend more time with her family, in April 2016.
Current Chief Joe Hill started in September 2016, about the same time indictments were handed down against Cox, Green, Large and Williams.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigated the cases against the four officers. The unit uncovered allegations of Large coercing women for sex and inappropriate relationships with victims. Large also discussed participating in nude catfighting videos with some of the victims he was supposed to be helping.
There were also several civil lawsuits against Horry County police and Large filed by some of the women who he was supposed to be helping.
This story was originally published March 9, 2020 at 11:30 AM.
