5 Horry County cops resigned or were fired over misconduct this year, report shows
Five Horry County police officers have left the department this year after internal investigations found they lied about investigations, leaked information, or cheated on certification tests, records show.
Stanley Strickland, Bernard Grate, Curtis Thompson, Tyler Jackson and Craig Hutchinson have either been fired or resigned over misconduct this year. The Sun News reviewed reports from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy for this year and found the department has had three terminations and two resignations for misconduct in 2021.
Strickland, who was a police captain and north precinct commander, resigned just before his 30th year with the department.
An internal investigation found that Strickland had a lower-ranking officer complete his mandatory law enforcement training class. The training, called Acadis in the report, is required for officers to maintain their certification. Strickland admitted to cheating on the test and resigned March 9, according to the report.
Grate was a police sergeant and with the department for 17 years. Before that he was with the Conway Police Department and worked at J. Reuben Long Detention Center.
Grate was terminated on April 20 for lying during an internal investigation into why he failed to arrest a wanted subject.
Thompson was a detective and was fired after releasing sensitive information and then lying about it. Thompson previously worked for Horry County police from 2003-2010, before resigning for a year and rejoining the department in 2011. It is not clear why he resigned the first time. He admitted to lying during a polygraph test during the investigation and was fired March 18.
Jackson had been with Horry County police since 2018. Before that he served with the Nichols police from 2012-2015 and again from 2018-2019 and the Loris police from 2009-2012.
The report said he gave false testimony in court during a preliminary hearing in a domestic violence case. He was fired on April 20.
Hutchinson was a 28-year veteran of the department. He was a sergeant and the supervisor of the Animal Control Division since 2017. His separation paperwork said he resigned after an internal investigation found he lied on an internal police department form. The report said he lied on a line inspection form, saying it was completed and accurate, but an internal investigation found the inspection had not been done.
Horry County Police Chief Joe Hill was not made available for comment.
