Back in February, our news outlet exclusively reported that the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) had launched a criminal investigation into long-serving Greenville county sheriff’s office captain Darius Hall. That same month, we filed another exclusive report indicating this probe had expanded to include “allegations against multiple officers.” The following month we reported the inquiry had borne “significant fruit,” according to our sources.
At the heart of the original investigation were allegations about “side jobs” being worked by Greenville county deputies – and specifically rumored “discrepancies” in official time cards submitted to this government agency.
SLED was reportedly looking at “many years” of records related to these alleged discrepancies – as well as reports that the Greenville sheriff’s office of professional standards (OPS) had improperly approved questionable disbursements based on fraudulently submitted time cards.
It bears repeating that this news outlet does not begrudge law enforcement officers who choose to supplement their income from the private sector … especially during these challenging times.
“Rank-and-file police officers and sheriffs’ deputies are not paid nearly as much as they should be given the vital public safety responsibilities they are assigned – and the danger in which they often place themselves while carrying out these responsibilities,” we noted in our previous coverage. “Accordingly, they should be able to earn additional income in the private sector as they are able to do so – although we have consistently argued such employment opportunities should not involve the use of taxpayer-provided equipment or other resources.”
And once again … “side jobs” must never coincide with on-duty hours.
As of this writing, we have no update on the SLED inquiry into Hall and the other Greenville deputies allegedly mixed up in the “time card scandal.” According to SLED spokesman Tommy Crosby, the “investigation remains open.”
We know Hall was demoted from the rank of captain to the rank of lieutenant as a result of an internal sheriff’s office investigation – but he remains on active duty pending the SLED probe.
Also still on active duty? Marcus Davenport – chief deputy to newly elected Greenville county sheriff Hobart Lewis.
Is Davenport mixed up in the time card scandal? It is unclear … but our news outlet has confirmed he is the focus of a separate SLED inquiry involving an unrelated allegation. According to our sources, Davenport is being investigated after it was alleged that he and a female accomplice “embezzled over $100,000 from a bank” where the woman worked.
SLED was referred the case directly from the bank, we are told, and we have received reports that the inquiry “may be referred to the feds” – likely the regional branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Crosby would only confirm that the SLED investigation into Davenport was “ongoing.” Beyond that, he declined to comment on the status of the inquiry.
Another source told us the amount allegedly embezzled totaled $112,000 – and that the missing money was uncovered during an “unannounced audit” prior to the bank’s pending sale to another financial institution.
Davenport, readers will recall, was a central figure in the investigation into former Greenville sheriff Will Lewis – who was removed from office and sentenced to a year in prison last October after a jury found him guilty of misconduct in office. Lewis was released three weeks later on an appeals bond.
Davenport also served as chief deputy to Lewis – and traveled with the sheriff to Charlotte, N.C. in March 2017 on an infamous “budget meeting” trip. It was during this taxpayer-funded junket that Lewis was accused of sexually assaulting his former assistant, Savannah Nabors.
A civil suit related to these allegations was settled in October of 2018 – and Lewis was never criminally charged in connection with the sexual assault allegations.
Lewis’ sex/ corruption scandal – most of which unfolded exclusively on our pages – began in August of 2017 when this news outlet first reported on the seismic allegations made against him by Nabors.
Stay tuned … this news outlet will update our readers as to any additional information we are able to obtain regarding the investigation into Davenport. Obviously, the chief deputy has not been formally accused of any criminal wrongdoing at this point – and in the event he ever is thusly accused, he would be considered innocent of any charge until found guilty by our criminal justice system.
-FITSNews
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