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One of South Carolina’s most recognizable sheriffs has vanished from public view amid an active federal-state investigation — and is believed to be in possession of multiple fully automatic firearms obtained through his department, according to law enforcement sources.
Nearly a month after vanishing under the guise of a “leave of absence,” the whereabouts of Sheriff Charles “Chuck” Wright remain unconfirmed as federal authorities continue gathering testimony and financial records tied to an investigation with no publicly known focus.
The 60-year-old was last seen by subordinates around April Fools’ Day 2025, wearing a semi-automatic Shadow Systems pistol on his hip.
First elected in 2004, Wright serves as the top law enforcement officer in Spartanburg County — a fast-growing region in the Palmetto Upstate. Anchored by Interstate 85, it’s home to one of the nation’s busiest inland ports and encompassing one of the state’s most dangerous cities, according to AreaVibes.
A self-described Christian conservative who spent over two decades casting himself as a moral authority over politics and policing, Wright absconded from the very department he ruled without rules the moment his own integrity came under federal scrutiny.
Although a federal grand jury has been empaneled to examine evidence against him, sources familiar with the investigation say it may extend beyond Wright and reach into other government-subsidized employees, including members of his own department.
The probe — led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) — is said to have continued gathering testimony even after Wright announced his leave of absence, reportedly to address a long-rumored pill dependency.
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@realandyfancher ?? FEDERAL GRAND JURY HEARS TESTIMONY IN SHERIFF CHUCK WRIGHT INVESTIGATION ? Columbia, South Carolina One of the most powerful lawmen in South Carolina is under federal scrutiny—after taking a “leave of absence” on April Fools’ Day. This week, a federal grand jury began hearing witness testimony in the ongoing probe targeting Spartanburg County Sheriff Charles “Chuck” Wright, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (#FBI) and the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (#SLED). Read the extensive (and only) coverage at @fitsnews. — #Cops #Copwatch #crime #corruptionisreal #insider #advocate #lawenforment ? original sound – Andrew Fancher
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“The feds are definitely looking at financials,” said a former deputy with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO). “But what they’re realizing is it goes way deeper than the sheriff… Chuck has a way of compromising other people and dragging them down with him.”
That same disregard, sources say, extends to how Wright handles public money.
Months before abandoning ship, Wright traded in his county-issued Tahoe — with just over 28,000 miles on it — for a 2024 Ford F-150 King Ranch valued at more than $73,000. Records obtained by a former deputy show taxpayers covered a significant portion of that cost.
The cherry-red pickup was later fitted with a full-size bed gun safe, which sources say Wright attempted to upgrade using county funds — not for functionality, but because he preferred the look of a newer model.
Around the same time that request was reportedly denied, a lieutenant overseeing the department’s armory conducted an internal inventory. Sources familiar with the audit say multiple weapons were unaccounted for — including at least one fully automatic firearm.
The weapon — a pre-ban H&K MP5 — was reportedly obtained through seizure. It was last logged under Wright’s name on an evidence sheet, and multiple sources claim he has shown it off to others despite having no operational reason to possess it.
Wright’s habit of flaunting weapons extends beyond the evidence room and into the government-subsidized arsenal, according to his former colleagues.
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RELATED | FEDERAL GRAND JURY EMPANELED IN PROBE OF SHERIFF CHUCK WRIGHT
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“Several people have witnessed him selling Spartanburg County firearms to civilians,” a newly resigned deputy told FITSNews. “He truly believes, and he truly says, ‘I’m the sheriff. I can do whatever I want. It’s my name on the building…’ He fully believes that.”
That same mindset reportedly led Wright to gift a fully automatic rifle acquired through a federal surplus program. The weapon — possibly an M4 — was handed off to a retiring deputy without any documentation, and was later recovered after a routine audit.
In addition to firearms, multiple former deputies allege Wright has stockpiled thousands of dollars’ worth of SWAT gear, including body armor, a tactical shield, a helmet, a gas mask, and potentially flashbangs and smoke bombs — though specifics remain unclear.
Some of that gear may be stored at Wright’s home in Wellford, where one former law enforcement officer said a ground-level room attached to the garage, facing McCarter Drive, was reinforced with metal during construction.
“I was there in the early stages of the building,” the retired officer told FITSNews. “He had put an eighth-inch, quarter-inch steel on the walls and in the ceiling.”
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The same source claims the garage was built with “help” from one of Wright’s former associates — a known gambling kingpin who later forfeited several million dollars, multiple vehicles, and property to the sheriff’s office following a 2015 criminal case.
Wright later caught flak for commandeering one of those vehicles — a 2012 Ford Raptor — as an “official law enforcement” pickup that, according to him, didn’t cost taxpayers a cent. In reality, the county paid off a $20,000 lien on the truck and spent another $5,580 customizing it.
“Some shady shit went on with that [2015] case,” said a former SCSO investigator. “The sheriff’s office took millions off this [gambler] — pretty much shook him down and blew hundreds of thousands of dollars on shit… they spent the money on anything they wanted.”
While law enforcement officers familiar with Wright’s department have placed him in Oklahoma, Georgia and Florida following his abrupt leave of absence, others aren’t convinced he ever left the county he’s patrolled for nearly four decades.
“As of [mid-April], he was not in rehab — perhaps waiting to be admitted,” a county employee told FITSNews prior to our last report on Wright. “An [SCSO] deputy went by his house just to check on him, and he was home… They spoke briefly.”
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Constituents keeping tabs on the sheriff’s property say his King Ranch pickup has continued shifting positions outside his reinforced garage in recent weeks, despite no confirmed sightings of Wright himself.
As the federal grand jury continues gathering testimony behind closed doors, Wright remains armed, unaccounted for and under federal investigation — all while drawing a $3,828 weekly salary, according to open-source records.
“People have been so blindsided by this man, it makes me sick to my stomach,” added the spouse of a former SCSO deputy. “Like my husband, Chuck put his hand on that Bible and took an oath… When you break that, you’re spitting in the face of God.”
As Wright’s legacy unravels, his unofficial plan to pass the sheriff’s badge to his scandal-scarred son, Jared “Andy” Wright, looks increasingly unlikely. Last summer, the S.C. State Ethics Commission (SCSEC) opened an investigation into the sheriff’s allegedly illegal, nepotistic hire of his biological son.
As of this publishing, Chief Deputy William “Billy” Parris has assumed the sheriff’s authority — a longtime SCSO deputy with deep institutional ties to Wright, and someone multiple sources say is well aware of, if not complicit in, the culture that enabled him.
Despite repeated inquiries, neither SCSO nor Wright have disclosed whether any action has been taken to recover county-owned weapons or taxpayer-funded gear still believed to be in the sheriff’s possession.
This story may be updated.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
(Dynal Nolan/FITSNews)
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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23 comments
While these things are bad, I really don’t think Wright is the only public figure doing these shady things.
He probably isn’t and he won’t be the last. I don’t want my county run that way.
Of course he’s not. However, he is the one publicly professing ‘Christian Values’ while demeaning anyone who has the gall to challenge him! I pray people don’t let his behavior define their views of Christianity. He is just a flawed human, we all are. He happens to have the arrogance to think he is more than that! He is not!!!
Any Sheriff holding office beyond 16 years is probably crooked as a snake. Add bonus points for celebrating his department’s engaging in legalized road piracy with other agencies, at least once a year.
It seems as though the sheriff “knows where the bodies are buried” and has enough dirt on others that he thinks he is invincible. You can live in a garage and it doesn’t make you a car. You can live in a church and it doesn’t make you a Christian.
To Quote The Great Stevie Wonder” Heaven Help Us All!”
Sheriffs really need to be limited to 3 terms….seems like everyone who gets more than that ends up in serious trouble except maybe Leon Lott. And that’s a big maybe.
Catfish, you are correct about the three terms. The only reason they haven’t gotten Lott is he is very good at covering his tracks, he has stuff on the people who could get him, or probably both. His making privileged pets out of the likes of Randy Scott, Ruben Santiago, and the crazy Latina SRO who was shacked up with Randy when he was busted with illicit narcotics and a Class III shotgun that belonged to RCSD (even though Randy was retired at the time); should tell us anything we want to know about Leon.
Fits news , You should hear my story and see the papers along with my story
I know he did a lot of wrong things and I don’t see why taxpayers kept voting him into office. If taxpayers money paid for his truck and other things in his possession . All things should be repossessed and the money be distributed back to the taxpayers.
First, Spartanburg isn’t that dangerous. Second, police are human and make mistakes, which is why we shouldn’t reflexively praise people for their profession. I grew up in Spartanburg, and currently live in Charleston. Charleston has a lot of corruption if you look hard enough.
@Lexi: “Spartanburg isn’t that dangerous”?
Thankfully it is not as bad as some areas, but I can tell you that drug houses exist, unlicensed drivers with unregistered vehicles create dangers on roads, panhandling and vagrancy is epidemic. Call the county police and don’t hold your breath on a response…I speak from personal experience.
Oh, and crimes don’t get solved. The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s office thinks crimefighting is posting still-photos from security videos on their Facebook page, along with a vague comment about “This person is wanted in an investigation…if you have info, call us.”
County Council is quietly suspect in all of this too.
County Councilman David Britt who defended Wright recently when the credit card issue came up is suddenly leaving the Spartanburg County Council after 34 years and going to take a position with the South Carolina Public Service Commission. He has been on a roll helping recruit companies to Spartanburg for the last 30 years and he runs Tindall Corp. in Sptbg so it doesn’t make much sense to take an out of town political position.
Hey Chuckie Shits fixin to hit the fan! FO!
Hey Chuckie Shits fix’n to hit the fan! All that “Power” went to your head and now your sorry ass is going to pay for it. Three hots and a cot for you. Maybe your buddy Trey Gowdy will come and visit you.
Truly breaks my heart as I thought he was one of the ” better Sheriff’s around” SMH! It’s all politics and BS!
I haven’t forgotten all the GOOD Chuck Wright has done. I have always respected Chuck Wright and won’t stop now. I’ll pray for him. I’m not getting into what tax payers paid for. Who’s in charge of tracking and reconciliation for the department? Putting up steel in the walls and owning firearms is a reality in today’s world. Some of you need to get on your knees. I have no association with Spartanburg or the Sheriff! He’s in my prayers ? ??
Everything should be repossessed that chuck Wright has. If he bought it with taxpayers money. The funds should be distributed back to the taxpayers.
It amazes me what some sheriffs get away with while others get in trouble. Look at the ex-Laurens County Sheriff who was married and had an affair with a employee who got pregnant by him at least one time. He drove her to get an abortion in a county/tax payer issued vehicle and nothing was done about it other than him asking his wife for forgiveness and she gave it to him. Wonder if she knows about all the other women and men he’s messed with over the years?
Also, didn’t a Greenville County Sheriff get in trouble years ago for having an affair but yet other sheriffs are doing way worse and they are still in office. Like the old saying goes “Money talks and BS walks”…
“Judge not lest ye be judged”
“Let ye without sin cast the first stone”
Sounds from the comments that there are a lot of perfect people in Spartanburg county.
Sheriff Wright will answer to God for his sins and the court system will pass judgement for any “sins” he has done to man.
Maybe there are others connected with things who didn’t do the checking/investigating at the times the so called incidents took place.
Perhaps Sheriff Wright isn’t totally quilty of the accusations against him. “Do not lean on your own understanding.” Leave your judgment/opinion/gossip out of the mix.
Think how you might feel if Sheriff Wright was your husband, father, grandfather, and/or other family member. Would you be as quick to make the hurtful and negative comments like those above? Would you want your possessions taken away from your family as was suggested above?
I’m sure one of you will tear my comments to shreds. Have at it. I hope to see you in church this Sunday.
I started to see if i could give him a civilian ticket. “When he pulled me……. treated me as a devil!!!! (I wish i could and might look into seeing how to sue his crooked @$$)…”for lintering, because while treating me as a give piece of dog $#¡+, him standing there he’s a big, the biggest piece of trash there is on the face of the earth, or at least in the place of the earth called Spartanburg, south carolina ….I didn’t see him throw the trash, he is the trash!!! Here’s your ? EX SHERIFF , SORRY INMATE CHUCKY…. AND MANY MORE…BOBO , SON, SON AND MANY OTHER CROOKS. EACH TIME I HEARD SOMEONE/ ANYONE SAY I LOVE SHERIFF WRIGHT. I KNEW U WERE A POS TOO CONGRATULATIONS…… YOUR FRIEND CHARLIE ?I SAID THAT TO SHOW U KNOW EXACTLY WHO I AM AND I DON’T HIDE FROM TRASH!!!! LOCK ME UP FOR CALLING A ?? A ??. OR A FAKE ? A FAKE ?….. SURE YOU DON’T NEED MY LAST NAME DO YOU FELLAS!°°°°°°°°°°° I WRITE ?? U ALL IN THE COUNTY U THINK U OWN.
Your comment is a hot mess! Hard to figure out what you’re trying to say.
$3828/week?