BUT FOR NOW LIVE AT THE GOVERNMENT CENTER. EMMA WITHROW, QUEEN CITY NEWS. WHEN ASKED SIMPLE QUESTIONS LIKE WHAT HIS NAME WAS. HE WAS GIVING ANSWERS THAT CLEARLY SHOWED YOU THAT HIS MENTAL STATE WAS NOT HEALTHY. IT WAS CLEAR THAT IT WAS A BAD TASTE. THERE YOU GO. A TEAM OF MARLBORO COUNTY LAW ENFORCERS, ENDING THEIR SILENCE, REVEALING YEARS OF WHAT THEY CLAIM IS INTERFERENCE AND ABUSE FROM THE COUNTY'S TOP LAW ENFORCER. I'M ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED. THIS IS HEARTBREAKING. UM, THIS IS A SITUATION I'VE NEVER BEEN IN A MAN WHO LED THE SHERIFF'S MAJOR CRIMES UNIT NAMED AN INVESTIGATION AFTER THE SHERIFF THAT INVESTIGATION THAT BROUGHT STATE INVESTIGATORS. BACK TOMORROW. BOYLE COUNTY REGARDLESS OF THE CONSEQUENCES WITHOUT TOOK WHEN I SWORE IN TO DO THIS JOB WAS TO THE PEOPLE. I SERVED NOT TO THE PEOPLE I WORK FOR. SIX MONTHS AGO, WE LAUNCHED OUR FINAL DISRESPECTS INVESTIGATION INTO MARLBORO COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA. SINCE THEN DEPUTY PROBATE JUDGE RESIGNED AND THE SHERIFF'S INDICTED. THE STATES NOW LAUNCH MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE MARBLE COUNTIES COURT SYSTEM. AND THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. JUST LAST MONTH, IT WAS THE SHERIFF'S OWN MAJOR CRIMES UNIT, WHO TOOK THE SHERIFF DOWN WITH A NEARLY TWO YEAR OLD BODY CAMERA RECORDING AND WHAT THOSE LAWMAN DESCRIBED AS A CLIMATE OF CORRUPTION INSIDE THE MARLBORO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE. HERE'S JODY BARR WITH TONIGHT'S LOST TRUST INVESTIGATION. THIS TEXT JUST CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. TOMORROW COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE LEAD INVESTIGATOR WANTING TO MEET ON THIS FORM OUTSIDE OF MCCALL. YOU WEREN'T HERE NEAR THE NORTH CAROLINA LINE NOW. BE HONEST, IT'S A LITTLE SUSPICIOUS . HE SPENT THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS INVESTIGATING THE PROBATE COURT HERE IN TOWN. NOW THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. YEAH I MEAN, OF COURSE, YOU'D BE A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT THAT. HAVING NEVER MET THIS PERSON. DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE, BUT WE'VE ABSOLUTELY GOT TO GO. THERE'S NO OTHER OPTION. WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE CAR, A GROUP OF ARMED LAWMEN WERE WAITING LAWMAN WHO SPENT YEARS IN THE SHADOWS OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, ONE OF THEM LIEUTENANT TREVOR MURPHY, THE LEADER OF THE MARLBORO COUNTY SHERIFF'S MAJOR CRIMES UNIT. THERE IS NO MORE SMOKE SCREENS. NO MORE ANONYMOUS TIPS. ANONYMOUS LETTERS, NO BLURRED OUT. VOICES OF BLURRED OUT FACES. THIS IS TREVOR MURPHY FROM ACROSS SOUTH CAROLINA, TELLING YOU WHAT'S HAPPENING, WHAT'S BEEN DONE AND WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE. THE OTHERS WERE AFRAID TO BE IDENTIFIED. TREVOR MURPHY, THOUGH STEPPED FORWARD MY GUYS MET AND WE TALKED AND SAID LOOK, NOW IS THE TIME I KNOW. BRING IT OUT IS GONNA PROBABLY COST ME MY JOB. IT IS WHAT IS AT THIS POINT, BUT NOW IS THE TIME PEOPLE WERE PAYING ATTENTION. NOW IT CAN'T BE COVERED UP. I BELIEVE WHEN YOU TOOK MY PHONE CALL AND PRESENT THE STUFF TO YOU. I WASN'T TOLD . OKAY, I'LL LOOK INTO IT AND NOTHING WAS DONE. YOU LOOKED INTO WHAT AND YOU'VE GOT TO PUBLISH ATTENTION. THEY'D HAD IT WITH THE SHERIFF. LONG AGO, THE GROUP DECIDED TO GO PUBLIC AND HANDED OVER A STACK OF POLICE REPORTS THE FIRST REPORT IN THE STAFF. THIS IS BODY CAMERA VIDEO OF THE MAY 2020 JAILHOUSE TASING OF GERALD JOHNSON. THIS VIDEO WAS KEPT FROM THE PUBLIC FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS, THEN DAYS BEFORE WE MET THE LAWMAN, SOMEONE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT TEXTED THE VIDEO TO TREVOR MURPHY WHEN THE COAST COME OFF, AND HE MADE A MOTION TO COMMERCIAL SHERIFF. THE DEPUTY MADE THE ABSOLUTE RIGHT CALL AND DEPLOYING HIS TASER AND TO STOP THAT ASSAULT, WHICH HE DID. THE PROBLEM CAME AFTER THAT, THAT DEPUTY WHO WAS CLEARLY SHAKEN ON THE VIDEO. CLEARLY THIS SITUATION HADN'T BEEN IN MUCH. HE WAS VERY EXCITED. IS TRYING HIS BEST TO GIVE LAWFUL COMMANDS FOR THAT PERSON TO GET IN THEIR SALE EVERY TIME. THAT PERSON TRIED TO GET UP OFF THE FLOOR AND MAKING MOTION TOWARDS THE SALE. THAT DEFEAT WAS INSTRUCTED BY THE SHERIFF PUPPET TOOL. MAINLAND. DEPLOY YOUR TYPE, SIR, AGAIN. AND I THINK HE DID THAT 4 TO 5 MORE TIMES, EVEN TO THE POINT WHERE THE MAN WAS LYING IN SALE ON HIS STOMACH NAKED IT WAS TASTE FOR NO REASON YOU HAD THAT DEPUTY COMPLETELY EXCESSIVE FORCE REPORT. YOU DID SOMETHING WITH THIS VIDEO TO MAKE SURE THE RIGHT THING HAPPENED. I DID. IT WAS CLEAR THAT IT WAS A BAD TASTE, AND I TOLD THE SHERIFF THAT DAY THAT'S A BAD TASTE. THAT'S WRONG. IT WAS BLOWN OFF. NOTHING WAS DONE ABOUT IT. AND I REALIZED THAT THEY WERE GONNA DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. SO TRIED TO TRY TO GO AROUND AND GET THE RIGHT EYES ON IT. WE CONTACTED AND EX LAW ENFORCEMENT. HE WAS A CURRENT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFF OF THE TIME, BUT WE CONTACTED HIM THROUGH A ANONYMOUS NUMBER AND WE CONTACTED TO MEDIA SOURCES, UM, ANONYMOUS NUMBERS. LETTING THEM KNOW. HEY THERE'S A MAN THAT MARKET INTENTION THAT'S JUST BEEN UNLAWFULLY TASE. YOU NEED TO LOOK INTO THE SITUATION. SHERIFF CHARLES THEM WAS PRESENT . THERE'S BODYCAM FOOTAGE, MURPHY SAYS NEITHER REPORTERS NOR THE OUTSIDE INVESTIGATOR EVER RESPONDED. THE VIDEO ONCE LIVED ON THE SQUAD ROOM COMPUTER INSIDE THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. TO THIS RECORDING ISN'T THE ACTUAL BODY CAMERA RECORDING. ANOTHER DEPUTY USED A CELL PHONE TO RECORD THE ORIGINAL VIDEO AFTER IT HAPPENED IN THE 19 MONTHS BETWEEN THEN AND NOW, SOMEONE INSIDE THE MORROW COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE DELETED THE ORIGINAL RECORDING. NOTHING EVER CAME OF IT WAS NEVER LOOKED INTO THE SOURCES. WE REACHED OUT TO NEVER SAW THIS OUT. NEVER REACHED OUT TO US NEVER FOLLOWED UP. NEVER REQUESTED THE VIDEO NEVER REQUESTED ANYTHING. WHO DO YOU GO TO AT THIS POINT WHEN YOU'VE REACHED OUT TO PEOPLE THAT OR YOU'RE OUT, OR YOU'RE WAY OUT, AND YOU'RE REALIZING THAT WE'RE TELLING THESE PEOPLE STUFF THAT'S GOING ON AND THEY'RE NOT RESPONDING. WE HAVE NO HELP. THERE WAS NO SAFETY NET. YOU'RE TALKING SCHOOL. SOMETHING HAPPENS. YOU TELL THE TEACHER WE TRIED TO TELL THE TEACHER AND WE DIDN'T GET HELP WE ASKED FOR, MURPHY SAYS. WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, AGENTS SPENT HOURS QUESTIONING HIM INSIDE SLEDS PD REGION OFFICE, MURPHY TURNED THE VIDEO RECORDING OVER TO US AND TO SLED IN NOVEMBER. HE ALSO HANDED SLED A PACKET TITLED LEMON LAWS. A 76 PAGE DOCUMENT DETAILING WHAT MURPHY AND THE GROUP DESCRIBED AS UNETHICAL AND CRIMINAL ACTS COMMITTED BY SHERIFF CHARLES LEMON AND OTHERS. IN THE FINAL INTERVIEW WITH SLED IN DECEMBER , SOMEONE HANGS ON EVERYTHING, MURPHY DECIDED TO AUDIO RECORD THAT MEETING. HE DID SO AFTER HE BELIEVED SLED AGENTS WERE WORKING TO MAKE A CASE AGAINST HIM USED TO GO INTO RIGHT NOW, YOU COULD HAVE PEOPLE CRACKING OFF THE STREET AND GOING THERE RIGHT NOW TO THE DIFFERENT ROOM AND TO LEAD. ANYBODY CAN'T PUT IT OFF. THE COMPUTER WAS AWARE OF WE LISTENED TO THAT INTERVIEW I DID TODAY WITH SLED AGENT MIKE GIFFORD ON THE PACKING. I SUBMITTED TO SLED MONTH OR SO AGO. WHAT WOULD THEY BE CALLING YOU BACK ABOUT TODAY? UM THEY WERE, IN MY OPINION TRYING TO ACCUSE ME OF DELETING EVIDENCE. ON BEHALF OF THE SHERIFF, BUT THE SAME EVIDENCE I PROVIDED THEM A MONTH AGO, ALONG WITH OTHER STUFF. THEY'RE TRYING TO SAY THAT THEY'RE THEY'RE INSINUATING THAT I DELETED THAT EVIDENCE OR SOMEHOW GOT RID OF THAT EVIDENCE ON BEHALF OF THE SHERIFF MURPHY DIDN'T KNOW IT BECAUSE SLED DID NOT TELL HIM THEN. BUT THE STATE PLANNED TO ASK THE MARLBORO COUNTY GRAND JURY FOR INDICTMENTS FOR WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS VIDEO. AT THE TIME. THIS HAPPENED AS I TOLD HIM IN THE PRIOR INTERVIEW, AND AS WE PROVIDE THEM EVIDENCE ON OTHER CASES. WHEN STUFF'S HAPPENED AT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, WE REACHED OUT TO ANONYMOUS SOURCES AND THROUGH THIRD PARTIES AND TRY TO GET THEIR ATTENTION AND GET THEIR ASSISTANCE ON IT, ALONG WITH MEDIA OUTLETS. AND NOBODY BID DEPUTIES CHARGED GENERAL JOHNSON WITH RESISTING, ASSAULTING, BEATING OR WOUNDING AN OFFICER OVER THE LUNCH TOWARDS SHERIFF CHARLES LEMON. IN THIS VIDEO, MURPHY SIGNED JOHNSON'S ARREST WARRANT IN MAY. 2020 INCLUDING THE FACT VIDEO EXISTED. THE LIEUTENANT SAYS HE DIDN'T DELETE THE BODY CAMERA RECORDING AND HAS NO IDEA WHO DID. MURPHY SAYS HE TOLD SLED ANYONE WHO'S EVER WALKED INTO THE SQUAD ROOM. IS A SUSPECT AND HE TOOK US INSIDE TO PROVE IT FROM WALKING ON THE SIDE DOOR WON'T TAKE ONE LEFT. AND THEN ANOTHER LEFT AND WE'RE GONNA BE IN THE DEPUTY ROOM AND I'M GOING TO WALK YOU TO THE BODY CAM COMPUTER. AND SHOW YOU HOW ANYBODY OFF THE STREET CAN ACCESS HIS COMPUTER AND DELETE THE THEIR FOOTAGE. NOT EVEN JUST A DEPUTY WHERE WE NOW THIS IS THE DEPUTY ROOM. WHAT ABOUT THE KANSAS STORED IN THE FRIDGE JUST STORED PASSWORD TO THE COMPUTER IF IT WAS LOCKED BY SIMPLY CLICKING ON VIDEOTAPE. YOU CAN SEE ALL THE VIDEOS. WITH A SIMPLE RIGHT CLICK ON THE FILE. YOU CAN DELETE AND THEY WILL BELIEVE IT. THAT SIMPLE FOSTER MIDDLE AGED, FOR INSTANCE, AND GOING TO THIS BODY CAM FOOTAGE WITH DATES, 5 27,001 RIGHT CLICK. DELETE. AND IT WILL BELIEVE IT. WELL. SO THERE IS NO SECURITY ON THE ABSOLUTE ZERO SECURITY AND I HAVE STRESSED THAT TO SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOR YEARS. AND NOBODY CARED. SO THAT'S AND WE'VE BEEN HERE. 45 SECONDS. YOU CAN WALK IN BELIEVE VIDEOS. AND WALK OUT. AND NOBODY WOULD EVER KNOW. AND THERE'S NO THERE'S NO CAMERA SYSTEM AT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE TO DOCUMENT OR ADDING SECURITY. THE CAMERA SYSTEM WHATSOEVER, AND FIVE DAYS LATER ON DECEMBER 14TH, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE PRESENTED THE BODY CAMERA RECORDING TO THE MARLBORO COUNTY GRAND JURY. THE GRAND JURY INDICTED SHERIFF CHARLES LEMON AND FORMER DEPUTY ANDREW COOK EACH ON ONE COUNT OF MISCONDUCT IN OFFICE AND FELONY ASSAULT AND BATTERY. BOTH MEN PLEADED NOT GUILTY AND AN ARRAIGNMENT IN DECEMBER. I UNDERSTAND NOW WHY PEOPLE DON'T TRUST THE POLICE. WHEN THE POLICE DON'T TRUST THE POLICE. MURPHY WAS NOT CHARGED OR FORMALLY ACCUSED OF A CRIME, BUT ADMITS HE THOUGHT HE WOULD BE THINKING THE STATE HAD TURNED HIM INTO A SUSPECT WHEN HE ROLLED ON THE SHERIFF. WAS A BURDEN. MURPHY SAYS HE COULD NOT CARRY TOOK A LEAP OF FAITH. I THINK THAT THEY WILL DO THE RIGHT THING. AND NOW I FEEL LIKE I'M TRYING TO. THEY'RE TRYING TO IMPLICATE ME. OR HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO NOW? I'M DONE. I'M DONE. I'M DOING ALONG FORCE MINT. AS THIS ERODED YOUR TRUST AND SLIPPED. ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, I GOT A WIFE AND KIDS AND I USED TO BELIEVE A LOT IN THIS JOB AND FOR THIS JOB MEANT AND TO THE POINT WHERE I WAS GOING TO GIVE HIM MY LIFE. IN THIS JOB, BUT THAT'S OVER. I'M DOING THIS. THIS IS OVER. COMING UP A TEAM OF LAW ENFORCERS BUILDING A CASE AGAINST THE SHERIFF. HE KNEW ABOUT ME TALKING ABOUT THINGS HE'S DOING THE PAST IF HE KNEW ABOUT ME GOING TO SLED AND GOING TO OTHER AGENCIES ABOUT HIM. HE WAS IN MY CAREER, AND THERE'S NOTHING THEY COULD DO HIM ABOUT THAT AFTER OUR FINAL DISRESPECTS INVESTIGATION AIRED, THE SHERIFF'S TOP INVESTIGATOR FOUND AN OPPORTUNITY IN THE SPOTLIGHT CAST ON MARLBORO COUNTY. ABOUT A WEEK AGO. YOU SENT THIS LEMON LAWS, LEMON LAWS. YOU ALSO GAVE THIS A SLED AND I FELT MORE COMFORTABLE GIVING IN THE EVENING SLED INVESTIGATIONS ENDED IN MURDER CASES UNSOLVED. WE'RE WORKING ON SEVERAL OTHER INVESTIGATIONS CONCERNING ALLEGATIONS OF YOUR CONDUCT IN OFFICE GIVEAWAY. I CAN REACH YOU SO WE CAN RUN THIS BY YOU. I DON'T WANT TO REPORT THAT WITHOUT YOU HAVING TO SAY MAN AND THE SHERIFF'S INVESTIGATORS WALKING AWAY FROM MARLBORO COUNTY. IS THAT IT, MAN?
Lost Trust: The unraveling of the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office
Full article.
There's so much crime and drama and murder here. This could be like a whole season of Fargo.
If you haven't been following this story. About a year ago a man died in a small town in SC and the probate Judge and her friends went into his house right after his death and stole thousands of dollars in cash and equipment. When the family tried to get justice for this, the sheriff protected the judge and made sure no charges could be brought against her. It turns out the Sheriff was dirty and has been covering up way more than just this one break in.
Part 2 of this video is here :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21MSqCY4YVM
Below is the original story about the dirty Probate Judge, and how the Head Judge and Sheriff covered for her:
Part 1: https://youtu.be/i2fyUhKNi2o
Part 2: https://youtu.be/xEc1bnmzg50
Part 3:https://youtu.be/Fw4WLKlA2Ro
Part 4: https://youtu.be/zAdGSaAvga4
Edit*
I hate that the cop who did the right thing is now having to quit because of it. If anything that guy deserves to be Sheriff.
Holy shit, they walked right into that Sherriff's Office and had full access to delete or alter any files on the collection of bodycam videos. There was no locked door and no one challenged their presence. THE PASSWORD WAS PRINTED AND TAPED TO THE OFFICIAL BODYCAM FOOTAGE ARCHIVE!! What the fuck?!
Wait we don't have an ingest program for police to use that's cloud-based? Seems like something we could develop federally and deploy to the states.
This right here is how police departments are radicalized. The good cops are met with a brick wall, so they eventually quit. Who is left? The pigs on the other side of the wall
Damn.
Boss Hogg and Roscoe have some explaining to do.
Funny, they can bust out the best data forensics teams to dig thru storage media and find long since deleted and overwritten files to nail a conviction for much more minor crimes but a simple windows file delete is too much work to recover for evidence in a dirty LEO department case.