Gov. Henry McMaster has appointed former Bennettsville Chief Larry McNeil to serve as interim sheriff for Marlboro County after the indictment of Marlboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon.

McNeil will serve until Lemon is acquitted, convicted, the indictment is otherwise disposed of, or until a sheriff is elected and qualifies in the next general election. McNeil, 68, served as the Bennettsville Chief of Police from 2000 to 2016 and most recently served as the S.C. Department of Social Services Director of Employee Safety and Law Enforcement Liaison until earlier this year.  McNeil resigned Tuesday from his position after being appointed as interim sheriff.
Donald E. Andrews, interim superintendent for Marlboro County School District, said the board will have a special called meeting with legal counsel in to discuss moving forward based upon the state statutes along with board policy.

Marlboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon and former Deputy David Andrew Cook were indicted Tuesday by a Marlboro County grand jury on assault and misconduct charges after a Taser incident on a suspect.

According to State Attorney General Alan Wilson,

both are charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and misconduct in office.

The indictments allege that on May 3, 2020, Sheriff Lemon ordered then-Deputy Cook to deploy his taser on Jarrel Lee Johnson at the Marlboro County Detention Center and unlawfully continued to activate the taser at least two times after the initial taser deployment to subdue the suspect while inside the jail. The indictments alleged that the assault was likely to produce great bodily injury or death. One of the indictments against Cook stated that he deployed his taser into Johnson’s chest and leg.

Assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature is a felony with a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Common Law misconduct in office is a misdemeanor with a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Because of the indictments, McMaster suspended Lemon from office, and Cook is no longer employed in law enforcement.