Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The newly appointed chief of the Honea Path Police Department (HPPD) tells FITSNews that upwards of four individuals have been questioned in connection with alleged financial crimes.
On Wednesday, May 17, 2023, law enforcement veteran Chris Miller became HPPD’s permanent chief of police following the transient leadership of Barry New — which itself was preceded by the abrupt resignations of Shawn Boseman in 2022 and David King in 2019.
***
“A LOT OF MISSING CASH …”
***
Since his appointment by mayor Christopher Burton, Miller has replaced all but two HPPD officers following an exhaustive inspection of his department — which enforces the laws of a small town straddling Anderson and Abbeville County, South Carolina.
“I’m a big stickler for documentation,” said Miller during an interview with FITSNews. “When I got here, I knew there was no record-keeping. The evidence [HPPD] had was not being tracked or stored correctly … that included confiscated money.”
Come Saturday, June 3, 2023, the careered homicide investigator of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) reported his discovery of alleged financial crimes within HPPD to agents of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
***
RELATED | COUNCILWOMAN THREATENS POLICE OFFICER DURING SERVICE CALL
***
Of interest? Miller purports that his department lost a year’s worth of body-worn camera (“BWC”) footage, digitized incident reports and physical evidence; including but not limited to confiscated money and firearms between 2020 and 2021.
“We’ve got a lot of missing cash,” continued Miller. “Confiscated money should be deposited into an interest-bearing checking account until someone’s case is adjudicated or dismissed. Turns out, some people weren’t getting their money back.”
According to Miller, at least $10,200 in forfeitures were never deposited into a First Citizens Bank account under Boseman’s leadership. He furthermore purported that HPPD switched to Upstate Federal Credit Union prior to his appointment.
***
“THE BEGINNING STAGES …”
“So, you can see my concern,” Miller stated amid SLED’s ongoing investigation. “Even if it’s five dollars, it doesn’t belong to a police officer. It belongs to whoever the owner is … it doesn’t matter if it’s ten thousand dollars or ten million dollars. It belongs to the owner.”
The Town of Honea Path has since reimbursed a constituent $3,714 after Miller confirmed that over $3,000 and a Galaxy S20 phone were seized — and supposedly uncatalogued — by HPPD officers following an arrest on October 2, 2020.
A secondary individual has since reported to Miller that $6,500 was seized during an ambiguously documented traffic stop resulting in their arrest and pending charge for possession of marijuana on November 22, 2022.
***
“We’re still in the beginning stages of really digging into this,” continued Miller. “This is not going to be cleared up overnight … and it’s very possible that we’re going to find even more information and turn it over to SLED.”
As for the nonexistent incident reports? Previous employees purport that HPPD’s data management software, Southern Software, Inc., suffered an indefinite data breach simultaneous with the uncatalogued money — between 2020 and 2021.
“It just doesn’t make any sense,” stated Miller. “So, I called our IT people and asked if there were any records of a work order being put in for someone to come take a look at our server since they keep a record of that … nothing was ever reported.”
***
“THERE’S NOTHING WORSE …”
In response to the aforementioned anomalies, Miller upgraded the department’s BWC system from WatchGuard to Axon in mid-February and furthermore employed an Anderson County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) narcotics investigator to manage HPPD’s seizures and forfeitures.
Miller furthermore reported the hiring of a “computer savvy” West Union Police Department (WUPD) officer who — in addition to his daily duties within HPPD — will facilitate the department in recovering otherwise nonexistent data.
SLED has since confirmed their investigation into “potential financial crimes” within HPPD, according to department spokeswoman Renée Wunderlich in a statement provided to FITSNews last month.
“I gave SLED a list of fourteen former employees,” concluded Miller. “If officers are responsible for this, I don’t know what I could possibly say to convince them to come forward … I take illegal activity very seriously, especially when law enforcement is involved.”
Miller is urging anyone with adjudicated or dismissed cases involving withheld forfeitures to call or text his personal phone number: 864-318-1883.
This story may be updated …
UPDATE | During the weekend of March 6, 2024, approximately $6,500 was located in HPPD’s evidence room — as opposed to being deposited into First Citizens Bank upon it’s seizure in November 2022, according to Miller.
***
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.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
***
*****
5 comments
Truth be known evidence goes missing from every popo department. People think there is magic in the badge that makes the popo honest and trustworthy but nothing could be further from the truth. Armed with this misplaced trust and a monopoly on force as well as the fact popo always investigated themselves it should not surprise anyone they lie and steal.
You said a mouthful there! And all the truth!
Maybe Miller needs to brush up on forfeited funds laws. The governing body ie Town Council is supposed to maintain two accounts for seized funds. An interest bearing account for non adjudicated monies and a separate account for money that has been cleared though the court. The police chief should not and cannot have control over the either account and must request funds from the cleared account through the council. He best be careful and maybe the town should hire a competent attorney
Yes!!!!
Cheap Miller is corrupt in every sense of the word he is hiring officers that are being fired from other departments to replace the money thieves with real criminals that beat people up on sidewalks the Honea path police department needs to be dis band!!! And replaced with road signs this department is ridiculous they make up lies their conviction rate is zero because they have no follow through and they don’t know the law they are so concerned with a dollar bill that they forget they work for the people in the town that they are beating on a regular!!!