SC police chief accused of sexual assault. Town holds emergency meeting.
The police chief for a town in Georgetown County is under investigation for allegations of sexual assault, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division officials have confirmed.
Officials declined to offer additional information into the ongoing investigation of Andrews Police Chief William Kristopher Zurcher, according to SLED spokeswoman Renee Wunderlich.
Zurcher was placed on paid leave pending the outcome, according to GAB News, which first reported on the investigation.
The town called and held an emergency council meeting Saturday with the only item on the agenda being an executive session to discuss a police department personnel matter, according to an agenda posted on its Facebook page.
The Andrews Police Department, when reached by a Sun News reporter, referred questions to the town’s mayor, Frank McClary. McClary did not immediately return a message left at his office seeking comment.
The Sun News also was unable to reach Zurcher prior to publication.
The investigation is related to an incident that took place Nov. 3, 2021 north of downtown Andrews, according to an incident report provided by the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Department.
The report only states that a deputy spoke with the alleged victim last Thursday by telephone.
Zurcher was named the town’s police chief July 2021, according to his work history on file with the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy. He had previously worked with the Kingstree Police Department and Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office with no history of disciplinary actions, the file showed.
He’s also never faced any criminal charges in South Carolina, according to a SLED background check.
The town of Andrews straddles Georgetown and Williamsburg counties with a population of less than 3,000 people, according to 2020 U.S. Census data.
This story was originally published May 9, 2022 at 4:15 PM.
