Beaufort County Receives Subpoenas from State Grand Jury
Beaufort County, situated in the panoramic nature of South Carolina, is currently in the middle of a sticky situation. The state grand jury has brought to attention questionable dealings related to potential contract, purchasing, and procurement misconduct.
Scoop on the Subpoenas
The County has been handed over four state grand jury subpoenas. According to the county spokesperson, Hannah Nichols, Beaufort County has already started collaborating wholeheartedly and promises to live up to subpoenas by handing over all requested documentation.
The demands of the subpoenas primarily include documents related to purchasing cards, expenses associated with county employees, investments under the previous country administrator, Eric Greenway, and, interestingly, a contract related to a building job at a Port Royal inclusive playground.
Audit Raises Red Flags
After county council fired Greenway on valid grounds back in July 2023, a law firm based in Greenville called Haynesworth Sinkler Boyd conducted an audit of his activities. The audit disclosed ‘flagrant violations’ of the county’s procurement code under his watch. The investigation results came out in the Spring of 2024 but were only handed over to law enforcement at the end of August 2024, despite persistent requests from the media and the public.
Shady Playground Construction
When it comes to the Port Royal park, also known as Bruce Edgerly Park, the procurement code of Beaufort County was violated when the equipment was bought and set up without the approval of the council. Also, question marks have been raised over the construction of bathrooms at the park carried out by Nix Construction, which came to a steep cost of around $350,000. This hefty sum took the total cost of the project to just above $1 million.
Role of the Grand Jury
Duffie Stone, the 14th Circuit Solicitor, wrote a letter to Attorney General Alan Wilson in November 2023, urging him to assemble a state grand jury for the investigation of Greenway’s alleged misconduct. He decided to reach out to Wilson after an employee of Beaufort Country refused to cooperate during an investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, SLED. The employee sought advice from an attorney who worked for Beaufort County and chose to remain silent.
Stone went on record to say that he believes solicitors need to have the ability to compel testimony and subpoena documents in cases of public corruption. Due to their unique authorities such as summary investigation, testimony forcing, and subpoenaing of documents, Stone feels grand juries are necessary, albeit regrettably.
County Council to Cooperate
On a positive note, Beaufort County Council members opted to waive their attorney client privilege on Aug. 26 and agreed to release the report to law enforcement. However, Stone found it shocking that the County Council had to vote over the decision to cooperate or not with an ongoing investigation.
Moving Forward
A copy of the report was given to Stone and Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner at the end of last week. We’re yet to see how this situation unravels but one thing’s for sure – it’s a definitive wake-up call for all public offices to maintain the utmost transparency in all their dealings.
