They honored him with a $24M building. Now Horry Co. officials will scrub his name

Horry County will strip former public safety deputy administrator Randy Webster’s name from the Emergency Operations and Communications Center amid an ongoing lawsuit and allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, defamation and wrongful termination.

The renamed center will be called the Horry County Emergency Operations Center.

Webster worked for the county for more than 37 years and was among its highest paid employees — earning more than $220,000 annually — before announcing his retirement in October, citing health concerns. The Sun News was unable to reach Webster for comment before publication.

Horry County maintains that Webster’s retirement and resignation aren’t connected to the allegations, but officials said he was being interviewed by human resources about a sexual harassment claim when he shared his decision to leave.

“We felt that, in light of the allegations that have been levied against him, that it was probably appropriate to honor the individuals in the county throughout the entire public safety department and the county staff, rather than one individual,” said District Three representative and Horry County Vice Chairman Dennis DiSabato.

In August 2022, Horry County honored Webster with the $24 million Randall S. Webster Emergency Operations and Communications Center. Totalling some 43,000 square feet, the center houses Horry County 911, Horry County Emergency Management and the Department of Behavioral Services.

One worker in that department was former Horry County Police Department (HCPD) Investigator Kelsey Manemeit, who says she endured unwanted advances and inappropriate behavior from Webster, her professional superior, while working in a building brandishing his name.

Renaming the building

Following the Horry County Council meeting, Horry County will change the Randall S. Webster Emergency Operations and Communications Center to simply the Horry County Emergency Operations Center, but there’s no clear timeline. The Sun News spoke with two council members, neither of whom knew when the building would be changed.

“My understanding is that the county maintenance has been able to, or has looked at it in terms of what they would need to do, but I don’t have a timeline as to when any signs or letters would change,” said Interim Public Information Director Thomas Bell.

‘Getting weird as hell’

According to a lawsuit brought by Manemeit and former Horry County Public Information Director Mikayla Moskov, 61-year-old Webster recruited 30–year-old Manemeit, his neighbor, to join the HCPD.

Webster brought on Manemeit because of her physical appearance and decided the all-female Behavioral Services Department should be housed in Webster Center, instead of HCPD offices, the suit alleges.

Manemeit, a mother to young children, says she was separated from her husband, another county police officer, and undergoing divorce proceedings when Webster encouraged her to leave her post at the Conway Police Department for a “substantial raise” at the newly formed Behavioral Services Department under his purview in May.

That same month, Moskov raised concerns about Webster’s conduct to other county officials.

“Like, are we just hiring young women of a certain demographic to hang out with (Randy Webster) now? Because that’s how this looks,” Moskov wrote in a text message. “It’s the hand-picking that is getting weird as hell.”

Other messages cite issues with “bad optics” due to Webster wanting photos with Manemeit and another unnamed woman, as well as the perception that the Behavioral Services Department was receiving special treatment.

While working under Webster, Manemeit says he kissed her cheek, told her he loved her and described dreams of her.

“Some rustic mountain area swimming in a creek,” Webster allegedly texted Manemeit about a dream in October. “Going to be a struggle to focus on work today!” In other texts Webster wrote, “BTW the fault is that you can’t help being beautiful and desirable!” and questioned if he should also feel desirable, according to screenshots provided by Manemeit’s lawyers and an official statement.

Sexual harassment complaint filed

Just before Webster announced his retirement, Manemeit officially filed a sexual harassment complaint against him to the county’s human resources department.

“I feel like I can’t do my job without being pulled away for something that he needs or he just needs to hear my voice,” Manemeit said in her statement.

The same day Webster announced his retirement, he admitted to crossing boundaries in a statement to human resources. Webster said he considered Manemeit a close friend and kissed her in a friendly manner, recalling he received her permission to do so.

Webster’s statement denies sexual intent with Manemeit and says he hadn’t realized he made her uncomfortable until about a week prior, at which point he immediately stopped.

However, Moskov maintains she previously brought her concerns to Webster himself but was ignored.

“She even told Randy Webster, ‘This looks bad. The back rubs, the long car rides, the scheduling random meetings to be alone with Kelsey. This looks bad,’” said Moskov’s lawyer Jonny McCoy said in a news conference. “And he responds and says, ‘I’ve been doing this long enough. I don’t care.’”

When Webster retired, allegedly due to health concerns, it halted the investigation into the misconduct claims. But Manemeit and Moskov say the trouble didn’t stop with Webster’s departure.

A wave of resignations in Horry County

On Nov. 3, Webster officially ended his tenure as deputy administrator of public safety. Three days later, five county employees were given the choice to resign or face termination.

An HCPD SWAT team member had raised concerns over an improper relationship, leading to an Internal Affairs investigation of an “unharmonious working environment.”

A cover sheet for the investigation alleges Manemeit, Lt. Misty Gore, Detective Donald Kobithen and Sgt. Torry Lewis violated HCPD’s code for “conduct unbecoming” related to consensual sexual affairs, although no sexual activity occurred on duty. Moskov, the county’s top communications official, was also implicated in the investigation, which alleges she had an extramarital affair.

Releasing the investigation’s findings and giving the employees termination ultimatums were unprecedented for the HCPD, The Sun News found. Consensual, off-duty relationships between officers aren’t usually cause for dismissals, and HCPD officers found to have engaged in sexual activity on duty in 2020 were not all dismissed.

Facing those ultimatums, all five county workers chose to resign.

In their lawsuit against Webster, Horry County, the HCPD and HCPD Chief Kris Leonhardt, Manemeit and Moskov dispute the investigation’s findings, accusing the county of retaliation and efforts to discredit Manemeit and “whitewash” the allegations against Webster.

Moskov wasn’t sexually or romantically involved with anyone in the HCPD and Manemeit went on dates with two HCPD officers after separating from her husband, their lawyers said. Now, the two women are seeking damages, restoration to their positions and back pay.

This story was originally published December 10, 2025 at 4:18 PM.