Whistleblowers Allege Cover-Up Within Upstate Police Department

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Anonymous officers of the Laurens Police Department (LPD) allege that newly appointed Chief Heath Copeland threatened to prosecute his subordinates following two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from FITSNews.

On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, Copeland hosted a department-wide meeting to “inform everyone of positional changes and responsibilities,” according to the Microsoft Outlook email sent by captain Dillon Sherfield.

Approximately 20 officers thereafter made arrangements to attend the “important meeting,” per Sherfield’s email to personnel, which took place in the department’s training room from about 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.

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THE “GREAT UNRAVELING …”

During the meeting, Copeland informed his subordinates of LPDs restructuring following the abrupt resignation of former chief Keith Grounsell on Wednesday, March 6; a decision that purportedly “surprised” Laurens mayor Nathan Senn.

“It caught me off-guard,” Senn told FITSNews following Grounsell’s resignation. “It would have been nice to sort of plan his announcement a little bit further. But the timing just, sort of, was what it was … we wish him nothing but the best.”

It was later divulged that Grounsell’s resignation came one week after he supposedly opened an internal affairs investigation into LPD watch commander “C.J.” following a complaint forwarded by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) — among other concerns.

Of interest? Multiple employees within Laurens County told FITSNews that C.J. was intoxicated when he pointed and presented his service weapon while effectuating an incident outside of his jurisdiction earlier this year.

“He even admitted pulling a gun out in the [internal affairs investigation],” an anonymous employee told FITSNews. “The IA furthermore revealed that counterparts had warned him about his drinking because they’ve smelled alcohol on him before … There’s no way someone like [C.J.] would keep his job.”

Concurrent with LCSO’s investigation, multiple officers supposedly reported that C.J. was manufacturing false write-ups upon his subordinates and was subsequently in violation of LPD general orders — as well as the S.C. Code Of Laws § 23-23-150 (K).

Rather than terminate C.J., an employee alleged that Grounsell was “forcibly resigned” after Senn and Laurens city administrator Eric Delgado “stopped” the IA investigation. Officers purportedly responded by approaching Senn and emphasizing the importance of the IA.

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RELATED | POLICE CHIEF RESIGNS AMID FOIA REQUEST

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Within days of conferring with Senn, LPD command staff were called into a closed-door meeting with city administration. According to employees present, Delgado bragged about his friendship with Senn and added that officers would “fucking regret” going behind his back.

While the exact timeline remains unclear, Grounsell’s abrupt resignation was purportedly synchronous with C.J. being sent to rehab/Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) for approximately one month under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) before ostensibly returning to LPD.

“They’re losing people left and right because of this,” an anonymous employee continued. “We’re all terrified that our certifications are going to get wrapped up in this … We don’t understand why LPD would sacrifice so many officers to protect one or two people.”

FITSNews has since been provided with a list of officers who purportedly resigned in the wake of C.J.’s retainment; indicating that LPD has lost enough uniformed personnel to staff about two 12-hour police shifts since late March.

Our outlet was furthermore provided with the names of two officers who supposedly transported C.J. to service calls when he was too intoxicated to drive himself under Grounsell’s predecessor, Chrissie C. Latimore.

“There was some kind of standing order under Latimore,” continued an anonymous employee. “When [C.J.] was home and a bad wreck would come out, officers would go get him and drive him back … that didn’t come out until Grounsell opened the IA.”

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THE ALLEGED “COVER-UP AND SOME …”

FITSNews emailed a FOIA request to Laurens County attorney Marcus “Wes” Meetze on Tuesday, April 9 — seeking any and all complaints lodged against C.J. in 2024.

According to multiple sources, our second FOIA request caused yet another rift within Copeland’s office. This, after our outlet requested an incident report for a domestic violence arrest of LCSO deputy “J.D.H” earlier this year.

“Copeland doesn’t understand FOIA laws,” continued an anonymous employee. “He’s getting all his guidance from Mayor Senn … The city attorneys are going with, ‘don’t release anything to FITSNews and hope they don’t ask any further questions.’”

While the aforementioned attorneys redacted J.D.H.’s name from our requested incident report, FITSNews remains steadfast in producing a documentary essay related to his ostensible return to LCSO within weeks of threatening to “fucking kill” his daughter’s mother.

Of interest? This outlet paid Laurens County $30 to retrieve scanner traffic, 911 calls and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) reports related to J.D.H.’s confirmed arrest. After depositing our check, the county’s legal assistant told FITSNews that no such records were available. 

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“[C.J.] is a yes-man first, supervisor second, and a back-stabber third,” said another anonymous employee. “I’ve seen him arrive on-scene and smell of alcoholic beverages. It’s very evident that he has consumed more than a minimum amount before assuming his duties.”

Come April 17, approximately one week after deploying our FOIA request for disciplinary records concerning C.J., Copeland called for the previously mentioned meeting in which about 20 officers gathered in the training room.

“In that meeting, he threatened everybody with charges if they talked with the press about anything department-related,” alleged an anonymous employee. “Copeland said, ‘you can and will be charged.’ And he said it more than once … It was just strange.”

After supposedly failing to divulge what he would charge his subordinates with, Copeland seemingly announced that C.J. was demoted from lieutenant over patrol to sergeant over traffic and furthermore stated that everyone would be “happy” as a result.

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THE OFFICIAL RESPONSE …

Five days after supposedly threatening his personnel for speaking with reporters, Copeland emailed the author of this exposé with an update on disciplinary records concerning C.J. — copying the mayor on his correspondence.

“I have received your FOIA request,” Copeland wrote on Monday, April 22. “We have reviewed your request it appears there are no responsive documents to be produced in accordance with your request … To the date, the city has not incurred any cost for this FOIA request.”

FITSNews thereafter requested “any HR files and/or any disciplinary actions and/or reviews” related to C.J., and furthermore requested context as to why the lawman was demoted from lieutenant to sergeant; as such demotions cannot happen without filing disciplinary actions.

Of interest? The S.C. Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA) requires a Notice of Disciplinary Action related to the nature of C.J.’s purported demotion — with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) “usually” being requested by chiefs to investigate such incidences.

Come April 24, the author was informed by Copeland that FITSNews would “need” to redirect our inquiry regarding C.J.’s purported demotion into yet another FOIA request. Moments later, upon the request of county attorneys, we forwarded our unrelated FOIA on J.D.H. to Copeland.

Come 9:07 a.m. EST on Friday, May 3, FITSNews emailed Senn and Delgado regarding the myriad of allegations concerning their involvement in C.J.’s supposed IA investigation. At 1:15 p.m., Senn issued the following statement:

Mr. Francher,

Good afternoon.  I appreciate your reaching out to me for comment on the allegations you have raised. 

Unfortunately, it appears that you have received some inaccurate information.  I have confirmed with Chief Copeland that he did not threaten to “charge” his officers for speaking to reporters.  I do believe he cautioned them against sharing non-public information during the course of pending criminal investigations.  However, I do not believe that Chief Copeland threatened to charge any officers for speaking with reporters, (1) because speaking to reporters is not a crime and he knows that; (2) because I have confirmed with other officers present at the meeting in question that this allegation is not true; and (3) because doing so would be completely out of character.  Instead, I understand that he appropriately cautioned against the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information during the course of pending criminal investigations, and that if that were to occur, other law enforcement agencies (SLED, FBI) could pursue charges.  Multiple officers volunteered to me that the Chief made clear that he was not specifically referencing any particular incident or officer, and that it was clear that the tone was not threatening, but rather came across as an effort to caution his officers and look out for them.  I have spoken with Chief Copeland, and to the extent that there was any miscommunication or misunderstanding, he intends to make an appropriate clarification to our officers.

As to your “confirmation” of the demotion of Officer [C.J.], I would challenge the characterization that he was demoted.  Rather, he was reassigned.  Officer [C.J.] has a great deal of experience working in the traffic unit and has received recognition during my time in office from City Council for his work in that operational unit of the Laurens Police Department.  As you might expect, when Chief Copeland was appointed to his new position, he took some time to assess the needs, strengths, and resources of the Department and felt that Officer [C.J.] would be better utilized in the traffic unit.  He also felt that the Department was somewhat “top heavy.”  This change in position and responsibilities was not the result of any disciplinary action, nor was the reorganization and reassignment of certain responsibilities and positions limited to him alone.  This is to be expected any time there is a change in leadership and he was acting within his authority to make such changes.

The remaining allegations you have raised involve questions concerning an alleged internal affairs investigation.  It is the policy of our Department not to comment on any pending investigations.  With that said, because you have raised concerns about our City Administrator, I can confirm that he has not “stopped” any investigation.  However, we do have a responsibility to make sure that internal affairs investigations are conducted according to the established policies of our Police Department.  Generally speaking, any involvement by City Hall in such matters would be limited and in accordance with the direction and advice of legal counsel.  When appropriate, we do refer matters to outside agencies to ensure that we avoid even the appearance of impropriety.  I have confidence that we are handling the need for due process in internal affairs appropriately and according to the law.  I do not believe it would be appropriate for me to give any further comment on any pending internal affairs investigation.  I also imagine that you would deem it inappropriate to publish unsubstantiated rumors and half-truths.

Further, I have spoken with our City Administrator and he has denied making the alleged statement you provided.  With that said, and in the interest of full disclosure, he did meet with our Department’s command staff and emphasize to them the importance of respecting the proper chain of command.  It is my understanding from speaking with others present and Mr. Delgado himself, that he was firm and direct but that the message conveyed was that the City had unified leadership and that must be respected and maintained.  This conversation took place after the appointment of Chief Copeland and was intended to set expectations among staff working in new roles.  No other officer has any recollection of Mr. Delgado making the statement you alleged.  

Unfortunately, it seems that certain individuals may be providing you with inaccurate information.  At best, it seems that you have received some half-truths that misconstrue the true nature of events.  I hope this email helps clarify matters, but I would ask that you reconsider referencing an “expose on several alleged cover-ups” and using hashtags like “BadgeGoneBad.”  The folks who give of themselves and put their lives on the line to work for the Laurens Police Department are good and honorable people and they deserve more than sort of disrespect and innuendo.  There are no cover ups, and I hope that this concludes this matter.  I will do my best to ensure we maintain the integrity of our Police Department, and I believe that our City Administrator, our Police Chief, and all of our officers are committed to the same thing.

Respectfully,

Nathan Senn

Fri, May 3, 1:15 p.m.

“Copeland told you there were no documents, yet the mayor says there was an IA and they did not stop the IA,” emphasized an anonymous employee. “And the IA is still active? They weren’t smart enough to get their stories together before releasing 3 to 4 different versions of the same reality. It’s hard to tell the truth with these guys.”

If you know of similar cases that deserve investigative scrutiny, please reach out to this media outlet. We’re not only committed to exposing nefarious activity within government — but steadfast on holding our law enforcement as accountable as they hold the public.

“Copeland is not a bad guy,” concluded another employee. “But I think he’s caught up in something that he doesn’t know how to handle … This is not a reflection of the hard-working men and women of LPD; It’s an absence of effective leadership that citizens don’t deserve.”

This story may be updated.

UPDATE| At 2:49 p.m. EST on Friday, May 3, Laurens Police Chief Heath Copeland issued the following response to our email deployed on Thursday:

Good afternoon, Sir.

I have received a copy of Mayor Senn’s response to your email.  I believe it accurately reflects the facts and addresses not only the issues you raised in your email to him, but also those that you raised in your email to me.  For the same reasons stated by Mayor Senn, I have no further comment to make regarding any pending investigations.  The one thing I would add is that, on the day of the departmental meeting you referenced, April 17th, I wanted to make sure the officers in our department avoided a situation like the one recently involving an employee in another agency releasing information to Cody Alcorn.  It can be tempting, especially for younger officers, who have access to highly sensitive information to be the first one to “break the story,” especially if they have worked hard on a case.  I did not want my officers to inadvertently violate the law or compromise an investigation.  Of course, I had no reason to threaten my officers from speaking with reporters, and I was only trying to make sure they did not release information or remove official documents from the Department in a way which would violate the law.  Depending on the situation, this could constitute a felony (SC Code 8-13-725).  I hope that helps clear up your concern.  

We are committed to maintaining the highest level of professionalism and integrity at the Laurens Police Department

Fri, May 3, 2:49 p.m.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

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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