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Agents of the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) arrested an Upstate law enforcement officer on a pair of misconduct in office charges this week.
Justin Alan Pelfrey, 36, of Seneca, S.C. was hit with two separate misconduct in office charges – one related to alleged “malfeasance during his official duties” and another related to him allegedly failing to “properly and faithfully discharge duties he was sworn to uphold.”
Pelfrey is – or was – a decorated detective sergeant with the Oconee County sheriff’s office.
The two charges revolve around allegations that Pelfrey – “while acting in his official capacity as an Oconee County sheriff’s deputy” – used his position to “conduct surveillance” on an unidentified individual “for personal gain,” according to a probable cause affidavit accompanying warrants for Pelfrey’s arrest. Pelfrey was also accused of using “law enforcement databases to obtain further information concerning (the unnamed individual’s) activities.”
“All actions were for personal gain,” the affidavit added.
The alleged misconduct occurred between October 25, 2024 and November 6, 2024 in Pickens County, S.C., which borders Oconee County to the east.
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SLED’s investigation into Pelfrey was requested by the Clemson, S.C. police department. He was booked at the Pickens County detention center. On the first misconduct charge, a surety bond in the amount of $10,000 was set by magistrate Michael Baker. On the second charge, a public recognizance bond of $1,000 was set by Baker.
FITSNews readers may recognize Pelfrey as a central figure in a story we’ve been following for several months.
I’m referring to the case of Katherine Pelfrey – a former teacher from Clemson, S.C. who was controversially charged under a constitutionally dubious “battery” statute in December 2021 for a sexual relationship she had with a then-16-year-old student. Pelfrey is the ex-wife of Justin Pelfrey.
Katherine Pelfrey was not the student’s teacher at the time of the affair, nor did she teach at his school. Also, at the time of the relationship the student was over the age of consent as defined in S.C. Code of Laws § 16-15-342.
Prosecutors acknowledged these mitigating factors and ultimately decided to drop the “sexual battery” charge against her. As our outlet noted at the time, the decision to drop the battery charge against Pelfrey enraged her ex-husband.
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RELATED | IMPROPER DISCLOSURE
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Sources familiar with the March 2023 proceedings say Justin Pelfrey – who is accused of leaking news of his ex-wife’s arrest to Upstate media outlets – was “shaking with rage” as circuit court judge Alex Kinlaw Jr. sentenced his wife to probation as opposed to prison.
In the intervening months, Katherine Pelfrey has allegedly been victimized by “a sustained campaign of harassment.”
As FITSNews reported in April 2023, multiple letters were sent to her and her neighbors – including a threatening missive in which the unknown author assumed the identity of James Fairbanks, a Nebraska man who murdered a convicted sex offender in 2020.
“Your time will come and you will be punished for what you have done to that child,” the author wrote to Katherine Pelfrey. “You should and will suffer for the hell you have created.”
“I have not forgot about you and have been keeping a very close eye on you,” the letter continued. “That feeling you get when the hair stands up on the back of your neck should tell you that I am close.”
The letter concluded with images of Pelfrey’s home – along with a picture of her and her mother during a recent walk in their neighborhood. As if to drive the fear home, Pelfrey’s dogs were poisoned in the weeks following the receipt of the letters.
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While no charges have been filed in connection with these threats (or the alleged animal cruelty), S.C. family court judge Karen S. Roper concluded last December that Justin Pelfrey “probably did” leak news of his wife’s 2021 arrest to the media – noting his denials under oath did “not seem credible.”
Roper also echoed concerns expressed by our law enforcement sources, saying she was worried that “if Mr. Pelfrey’s anger toward Mrs. Pelfrey continues unabated, it will ultimately impact the children.”
Roper’s ruling further noted Justin Pelfrey was previously alleged to have “abused his authority when he used his position in law enforcement to confiscate marijuana from a juvenile and brought it home for (his wife) to use.” Our media outlet independently corroborated this marijuana allegation – and encouraged SLED to investigate it along with the source of the threatening letters to Katherine Pelfrey.
Then, two months ago, we reported on the improper leak of a law enforcement interview with Katherine Pelfrey from December 2021. This video was posted to YouTube on October 20, 2024 by an unknown individual in violation of a court order.
It is unclear whether either of the two charges against Pelfrey tie back to any of the behavior described above – or if the charges in any way connect to Pelfrey’s ex-wife. The name of the alleged victim in both probable cause affidavits has been redacted.
Also, as with anyone accused of committing any crime, Pelfrey is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as he may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against him.
Pelfrey’s case will be handled by the office of S.C. thirteenth circuit solicitor Walt Wilkins.
Count on FITSNews to provide our audience with any pertinent updates related to this case.
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THE RELEASE…
(SLED)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
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.
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1 comment
That guy has sounded like an unhinged nut for quite a while. So glad they took him from behind the badge. Hopefully his ex has someone looking out for her in case he decides to vent all of his rage over his failures on her. Unfortunately, I see that as a very real possibility.