Former Horry Co. officers ‘willfully’ misled judge to get warrants, investigation found
A pair of Horry County Sheriff’s Office officers resigned earlier this year after an internal investigation found they’d intentionally misled a judge to obtain search and arrest warrants.
Former Sgt. William “Bill” McMeins and Deputy Michael Bryant both separated from the office in May, with each separation described as a “resignation involving misconduct,” according to records filed with the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy.
Attorney Scott Hayes, who is representing McMeins, denied that his client committed any acts of misconduct, pointing to a law enforcement career that has spanned 39 years, including stints with the Marines and Maryland State Police before joining the Horry County Sheriff’s Office in 2015.
“(His) reputation is beyond reproach,” Hayes said. “Efforts to put dirt on (McMeins’) name are mystifying.”
Bryant did not respond to a request for comment.
The internal investigation was in response to a citizen complaint against McMeins regarding three separate incidents, according to HCSO spokeswoman Brennan Cavanagh. One complaint was deemed unfounded, McMeins was exonerated in another, but the third complaint implicated both McMeins and Bryant, according to Cavanagh.
McMeins was Bryant’s supervisor and training officer, and both were assigned to the community corrections enforcement team, Cavanagh added.
“Our investigators reviewed incident reports, hundreds of emails, recorded interviews, and body camera footage,” she wrote in a statement. “Ultimately, we concluded that these two officers did not uphold our strict policy of truthfulness. The actions of McMeins and Bryant are not representative of the training and service we provide to Horry County Citizens.”
People impacted by incorrect warrants
Two people were arrested as a result of the former officers’ investigation, which occurred Feb. 18, 2022, according to Cavanagh.
The defendants impacted — Donald Alan Bonini and Amy Nicole Graham — had all charges filed by those officers dismissed, according to Tonya Root, a spokeswoman for the Horry County Solicitor’s Office.
Bonini had a handful of drug- and weapons-related charges initiated by Bryant dropped in May, according to online court records. But Bonini has remained incarcerated since February at the J. Reuben Detention Center facing other charges filed by the Horry County Police Department, according to detention center records.
Graham faces a single charge of hindering officers serving a warrant, according to online court records, which list the case as pending. She was released from jail in February after two days, detention center records show.
Attorneys listed for Bonini and Graham could not immediately be reached for comment. It’s unclear if they were made aware of the sheriff’s office findings.
No further investigation was conducted into any other warrants sought by McMeins or Bryant because no other complaints were filed against them, according to Cavanagh.
The Sun News filed a Freedom of Information Act request Monday seeking permission to view the former officers’ personnel records.
Internal investigation findings
HCSO sent a brief explanation to the criminal justice academy describing McMeins’ and Bryant’s alleged misconduct, but details are scarce. Both explanations state that facts and evidence collected during an investigation by the department’s Office of Professional Standards conclude that they each violated policy and procedures on “truthfulness.”
McMeins, who served at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, knowingly and willingly typed up a search warrant affidavit containing several misleading and incorrect statements, and presented that affidavit to an Horry County magistrate judge, the investigation found.
Hayes said McMeins has been left in the dark concerning the internal investigation beyond what was submitted to the criminal justice academy, which he “unequivocally denies.”
McMeins is looking forward to clearing his name through an appropriate legal process and expects to be vindicated of all allegations, Hayes added. He declined to say whether that meant a future lawsuit against the sheriff’s office, but did confirm McMeins desires to resume his law enforcement career.
Bryant, who worked at the detention center since 2008, willfully presented “several” arrest warrant affidavits containing false, misleading and incorrect statements to a magistrate judge, according to the investigation.
Both investigations involved a review of departmental records, the warrants, body camera footage and interviews with the two officers.
Both explanations of separation also specify that neither is facing a pending criminal investigation or charges related to the alleged misconduct.
This story was originally published November 9, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
