SC

Former S.C. Sheriff’s Candidate Retracts 2020 Claim, Issues Apology

Five years later…

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The 2020 Republican primary election for sheriff of Greenville County – South Carolina’s most populous county – was as dirty as they come. And in full disclosure, FITSNews was not on the right side of the fight. As many Upstate politicos recall, we were exceedingly critical of candidate Hobart Lewis – who has turned out to be an exemplary law enforcement leader.

Not surprisingly, Lewis easily won reelection in 2024 – brushing aside a GOP primary challenger and facing no Democrat opposition on the November ballot.

While Lewis has “kept on keeping on,” earning high marks from supporters and critics alike, drama from his 2020 win over former deputy U.S. Secret Service director A.T. “Tommy” Smith has not abated. And no, we’re not just referring to the criminal investigation that befell Smith’s former campaign strategist following the contentious race.

Civil lawsuits have been progressing through the S.C. thirteenth judicial circuit related to allegations raised in the final hours of the 2020 election.

As we reported more than five years ago, Cindy Barnette Camp of Anderson, S.C. stepped forward publicly after Smith’s campaign released a mailing claiming Lewis left his job at the Greer, S.C. police department in 2004 after “having sex with (a) subordinate.”

“Hobart, who is Cindy B?” the mailing asked.

Support FITSNews … SUBSCRIBE!

***

Another mailer sent by Smith’s campaign claimed Lewis had failed a polygraph related to the affair allegation.

As the allegations swirled, Camp took to social media and made it abundantly clear “Hobart Lewis and I never had any type of inappropriate relationship.”

“I cannot sit on the sidelines anymore,” Camp wrote on her Facebook page just days before the election. “Mr Smith I am Cindy B. and your awful attacks on my character and my family must stop. I will not sit idly by and let you try to destroy two people for your own political gain.”

“These lies you have deliberately spread about me have caused harm and I feel bullied,” Camp continued. “You have shown no proof of any type of an affair, cause there is none, but let me tell you Mr. Smith my lawyers are going to want to see proof too, cause that is who you will be answering to next.”

Camp was as good as her word, too, filing a defamation lawsuit against Smith and numerous other parties in 2021.

This week, Camp’s attorney – Doug Churdar of Greenville, S.C. – announced that a confidential settlement had been reached in that case.

“Cindy never had anything but a professional relationship with Hobart Lewis – and this was when they worked in Greer more than twenty (20) years ago,” Churdar said in a statement (.pdf). “Hobart Lewis was Cindy’s supervisor. They were never alone – even in a patrol car. At the time A.T. Smith made these desperate allegations, Cindy was living in Anderson. She was completely uninvolved with this campaign, and she did not deserve to get dragged into it by A.T. Smith.”

While the terms of the agreement remain sealed, Smith issued a signed retraction and apology in connection with the settlement, affirming “there was no merit to the statement” of an affair between Lewis and Camp – which he was “personally retracting.”

Smith further apologized to Camp, expressing “regret (at) the harm it caused.”

***

***

As we reported at the time, FITSNews was provided with the name of a female officer with whom Lewis was alleged to have had an affair with, however we declined to publish that information. We further declined to publish a photograph of the woman alleged to have been Lewis’ paramour – and other information which would have made her easily identifiable.

In addition to Smith’s retraction and apology, Churdar issued a copy of a polygraph record (.pdf) from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) confirming Lewis passed a lie detector test administered on February 26, 2010. The notation on the form – “NDI” – means there was “no deception indicated.”

Lewis was not immediately available for comment regarding the settlement. And while he was singled out for the same allegation as Camp, he has not taken any legal action against Smith.

However, sources close to this case say to keep an eye out for possible future filings…

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks on phone
Will Folks (Brett Flashnick)

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.

***

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.

***

Get our newsletter by clicking here …

*****

Related posts

SC

South Carolina Education Department Gives Update On Cyberattack

FITSNews
SC

S.C. Attorney General Slams Costco For DEI Policies

Erin Parrott
SC

Palmetto Past and Present: The Happy January of 1781

Mark Powell

Leave a Comment