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A South Carolina sheriff’s deputy lost his badge after admitting to drinking before driving his patrol car — an incident deemed “unrelated” to a now-closed criminal probe by the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
Jorien “Jojo” Watson, 27, was fired by the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) last month after SLED referred a departmental complaint to his supervisors, according to paperwork (.pdf) obtained from the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy.
The complaint, deputies wrote, came from an affidavit by a woman who said she had a “romantic relationship” with Watson. The affidavit — submitted by one of several women purportedly linked to him during that period — alleged Watson drank alcohol before driving his patrol vehicle.
“(Redacted) stated that she knew this to be factual as she had brought alcohol to his residence for them to consume, and that after consuming the alcohol, he then drove away in his county-issued vehicle,” an investigator wrote. “This agency contacted (Redacted).”
That afternoon, separation papers say, the woman went to the sheriff’s office, confirmed the statement was hers and gave additional details about Watson’s alleged drinking habits — all before his scheduled shift began.
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Watson was then ordered to report for work early and taken to an interview room with Capt. David Miller and Capt. William West. There, he was told of the complaint and reminded of the agency’s policy on “untruthfulness.”
“Watson advised that he understood,” another deputy wrote in the termination papers.
He admitted to the captains that he had consumed alcohol before operating his patrol car “in the past,” according to the records. When asked if there was alcohol inside the vehicle, he answered “no” and handed over his keys.
A search of the car, however, revealed a bag containing empty beer cans and an empty bottle of vodka.
“Those items were collected,” one deputy wrote.
Although at least two deputies were credited with finding open containers in Watson’s county-issued patrol car — a misdemeanor offense under South Carolina law — his termination was recorded as an internal policy violation “not involving misconduct.”
That means Watson is eligible to apply for other law enforcement jobs in the state.
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Adding to the intrigue, Watson’s separation papers note he was also under investigation by SLED for an “unrelated incident.” The documents say SLED had “cleared” Watson to return to work and that Miller was “under the impression that the matter was resolved.”
The paperwork also states Sheriff Lee Boan requested that SLED conduct an “open threat assessment” of Watson, though it does not specify when the request was made.
In a later statement, SLED confirmed it was asked by KCSO on April 25, 2025, to investigate Watson over “allegations of an assault” nearly three months before his termination.
The 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office ultimately declined to prosecute the case, according to a declination letter available here.
FITSNews subsequently filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with KCSO for Watson’s personnel file — including, but not limited to, “any and all complaints and disciplinary records.”
About a week later, Boan acknowledged the request, apologized for the delay, and said the department was working to fulfill it. That afternoon, KCSO released case summaries from four internal affairs investigations — three ending in written reprimands and the fourth in Watson’s termination.
The disclosures add Watson’s name to a growing list of Kershaw County deputies tied to internal reviews or controversies in recent years.
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Earlier this year, former KCSO deputy David Jordan was arrested by SLED on charges of misconduct in office and third-degree assault and battery. The charges stem from his time at the Springdale Police Department, where he had worked for about four years.
Before joining SPD, Jordan spent about three years at KCSO, where internal records previously published by FITSNews noted he was the subject of multiple use-of-force reviews.
During Boan’s first year in office, at least four of those cases were brought before him, culminating in Jordan’s January 2020 resignation (.pdf). His separation was recorded as “not involving misconduct,” a designation that cleared the way for him to continue in law enforcement.
The absence of disciplinary action against Jordan contrasts with the case of former KCSO deputy Johnathan Goldsmith, who was convicted in September 2024 of second-degree assault and battery and misconduct in office for an unrelated excessive force incident.
That incident led to a series of lawsuits totaling at least $1.5 million in payouts from the county.
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Watson’s termination came after roughly two years under Boan, during which he was a familiar face on KCSO’s Facebook page — pictured accepting treats from Nothing Bundt Cakes and, in a Black History Month post, posing with an AR-15 style patrol rifle.
Earlier this month, KCSO became the first sheriff’s office in South Carolina to deploy TRULEO, an AI-powered investigative suite that not only streamlines case reviews and timelines but also conducts anonymous interviews and analyzes body-camera footage.
This story may be updated.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
(Dynal Nolan/FITSNews)
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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7 comments
What the heck! This is clearly misconduct. It isn’t fair to us citizens that he can just go to another department and get hired. Whoever had the boneheaded idea of considering this an internal matter should also be fired!
Another example of the geniuses that are now accepted into the Thick Blue Line club whose standards have been in steady decline for decades. This decline has now percolated to the top where even the leadership has been stupefied and moves at every opportunity to cover for the idiots below them.
Now this 88 is adding AI in an effort to compensate for the lack of IQ of the force. Of course what this will inevitably lead to is a continued lowering of the standards for joining the Thick Blue Line Cult.
Building an idiocracy is a slow process until you finally get idiots in leadership positions and the process speeds up exponentially.
“88” ?
In general Law Enforcement does not hire geniuses. As far as I can tell they screen to ensure nobody with an IQ above 88 is granted membership into the thick blue line.
What comment can one leave that won’t be misconstrued or misunderstood by those who never spent a day wearing the badge?
Imagine if you “Will” taking a job and swearing an oath to provide and take care of a society that no longer cares about them or for them. You wake up daily knowing that you want to make a difference but that this could also be your last time walking out of your home and seeing your loved ones. You spend your days dealing with the worst that society has and being hated by the majority of the others, seeing Death and Hatred in its ugliest forms and see true evil that most will never know is in their community.
You do this not for the money (as it doesn’t pay nearly what it should), not for the fame as most will hate you for the Duty you show up to do every day and not for 99% of the people you protect.
You do it because it’s who you are, what you are and for those who need you in the worst moments of their lives.
So call it a Cult or a Protected Group. But till you walk a Day in the Shoes of those who wear the Badge. You will never understand nor can you and best yet we know that so we smile through our broken hearts and hide the tears that only the closest of us will truly see “Our Brothers and Sisters in Blue”.
The “just following orders” employees otherwise known as Law Enforcers are not peacemaker’s nor are they heroes. They are enforcers of the scum who dream up all sorts of rules and regulations to control the population. They need not have much upstairs to do this job but they want everyone to feel for them forcing people to conform to the opinions of scumbags in suits.
Sorry Charlie I have less respect for blind order followers since reading history of every totalitarian regime ever. Funny how the state always uses enforcers to control and finally destroy the very people they claim to protect.
Oh and then there is the fact that the SCOTUS has rules these “peacekeepers” have no responsibility to protect or to serve the people. The only thing they are required to do is show up and enforce whatever kind of Bull Shit a group of political parasites can come up with.
Cry me a river about how tough and stressful your job is when in reality you have never had any other job than “policing”.
Poor leadership at the top. The Sheriff feeds his social media followers twisted facts that they eat up like candy. This kid was also protected by the Chief Deputy bc of a personal relationship.