Horry County Police Department: Isolated Misconduct? Or A Corrupt Culture?

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As a high-profile criminal investigation into the Horry County Police Department (HCPD) related to the roadside shooting of North Carolina insurance adjuster Scott Spivey continues, allegations contained in an unrelated civil suit are raising fresh concerns — and fueling fears that corruption in this South Carolina law enforcement agency runs deeper than previously suspected.

When Charles Weldon Boyd called chief deputy Brandon Strickland moments after shooting Spivey on Camp Swamp Road in September 2023 – a killing he claimed was in self-defense – he wasn’t just reporting an incident, he appeared to be calling in a favor from a personal friend.

The investigation into the shooting of Spivey – which many insist was improperly influenced by Strickland – yielded no charges against Boyd or the passenger in his truck, Kenneth Bradley Williams (the other confessed shooter of Spivey).

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Whether Strickland misdirected or mishandled the Spivey investigation remains to be seen. But when he was confronted with the findings of an internal affairs investigation in March of this year, Strickland resigned. Since then, another HCPD officer – Paul Vascovi – was terminated after footage from a body-worn camera (BWC) at the scene of the shooting showed him instructing Boyd to “act like a victim” in front of the cameras.

There have been several other recent instances of individuals bypassing standard protocols and reaching out to Strickland directly about police matters. While complaints against officers can typically be filed through a form on the department’s website, this process was sidestepped in the days following the April 2024 death of aspiring Myrtle Beach, S.C. missionary and worship leader, Mica Francis Miller.

Miller’s case – which has attracted international headlines – remains shrouded in mystery. Just days after her suspicious suicide, though, her estranged husband John-Paul Miller – pastor of Solid Rock Church – was inserting himself into the investigation. Miller emailed Strickland directly, requesting an investigation into the actions of HCPD officer Heather Wilson.

Miller’s email to Strickland was sent on the heels of the following message from the church’s associate pastor, Tricia Ross:

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Sent on the evening of Thursday, May 2, 2024, Ross’s email urged Strickland to intervene in the case – citing concerns that Wilson had shared personal suspicions that Miller had driven his late wife to suicide. Ross called this behavior “unethical” and accused Wilson of demonstrating bias in a case that was not yet before the court.

Ross expressed concern that Wilson – while acting in her capacity as a police officer – was spreading unverified information including images of slashed tires allegedly linked to the case. She warned that people were taking Wilson’s statements as fact because of her law enforcement role.

“We are concerned for not only our safety but retaliation since she is a police officer,” Ross wrote. “She is very suspicious of our Pastor having something to do with the wife’s death.”

An hour later, Miller sent his own message to Strickland, demanding a “full investigation” into Wilson’s conduct. Miller claimed Wilson’s son had engaged in an affair with Mica – and suggested both he and his mother contributed to the emotional distress that led to her death.

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Miller asked police to investigate Wilson’s “phone texts, messages, pictures, her son DJ’s affair with my wife and anything else that Heather has done during this time that could’ve pushed my wife to suicide.”

“It is my heart that Heather Wilson and her son are the main cause of all that has happened,” Miller continued.

He further claimed Wilson had been overheard in a restaurant days earlier making disparaging remarks about Mica Miller. According to the pastor, a civil lawsuit was already in the works.

A subsequent internal affairs investigation (.pdf) determined the complaints against Wilson were unfounded. She is now serving as an HCPD precinct commander.

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CIVIL LAWSUIT ALLEGES POLITICALLY DRIVEN CORRUPTION

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As the Miller and Spivey cases continue to create headaches for HCPD, a recently filed civil lawsuit has alleged politically driven corruption within the department – including reports of an unlawful arrest undone by an “un-arrest.”

Filed by attorney Tucker Player last month on behalf of Thomas Wade Long, the lawsuit stems from events that occurred in the summer of 2022. It named HCPD along with former police chief Joseph Hill, Strickland, and officers William Deitzel, William Dozier, and Lisa Vault as defendants.

Long was described in the suit as the son-in-law of Harold Worley, a 30-year member of Horry County council who was running for re-election at the time. Long was involved in a legal dispute with a neighboring business in Little River, S.C. when he allegedly became the target of politically motivated police action, per the filing.

According to the complaint (.pdf), Long had paid to display a campaign sign supporting Worley on his own property – only to have officer Dozier illegally order its removal.

“Defendant Dozier took these illegal actions at the direction of Defendants Vault, Strickland, and Hill,” the complaint alleged. “Defendants’ illegal actions were based on the content of the signs, as Defendants supported Harold Worley’s opponent in the county council race.”

The alleged intimidation only intensified from there, according to the lawsuit.

On July 6, 2022, Thomas Wade Long was attempting to retrieve property that had been removed from his business, the complaint contended. Anticipating a possible confrontation with his neighbors — rivals in a long-running feud — he spoke with an HCPD officer who advised him to call 911 if an altercation occurred.

When that altercation took place, Long did as he was instructed and called for help.

Approximately 45 minutes later, officer Deitzel responded to the scene and arrested Long without explanation. According to the civil complaint – which has not yet been answered by HCPD or the named defendants – Deitzel placed Long in handcuffs so tight they cut off circulation to his hands. He then allegedly forced Long into the back of a patrol car, secured him with a seatbelt, and left him inside the vehicle with no air conditioning on a sweltering summer afternoon – with temperatures exceeding ninety degrees.

Long, struggling to breathe and drenched in sweat, began to lose consciousness, the complaint alleged. In desperation, he banged his head against the window in an attempt to get the attention of officers standing nearby.

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RELATED | S.C. POLICE CHIEF VOWS MISCONDUCT ‘WILL NOT BE TOLERATED’

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“Eventually, one of the officers got in and began to transport Plaintiff to J. Reuben Long Detention Center,” the complaint stated. “After some time, the officer received a phone call on his cell phone from Defendant Dietzel, who told him to return to Little River.”

What followed, according to the complaint, was a bizarre reversal of fortune.

“After the phone call, the officer stated he was returning Plaintiff to Little River to ‘un-arrest’ him,” the filing noted. “The officer stated, ‘I have never seen anything like this,’ referring to Plaintiff’s arrest and un-arrest.”

Still suffering from numbness in his hands and struggling to breathe, Long begged the officer to loosen the handcuffs, per the pleading. The officer eventually accommodated this request while the vehicle was stopped in the median of Highway 17.

After another twenty-five minute wait, Long was finally released.

Long was ultimately issued a citation for the “unlawful use of a 911 call” — but more than two years later, he discovered this citation had never been filed with the court.

According to the complaint, Strickland, Hill, and Vault were directly involved in orchestrating the unlawful arrest, which the suit described as an attempt to intimidate and harass Long. The filing accused the defendants of abusing their authority with “malicious intent” to violate Long’s rights, harm his business and settle a score rooted in county politics.

In August 2024, Dozier was promoted. In October 2024, Chief Hill retired and Kris Leonhardt – a 22-year HCPD veteran – was sworn in to take his place. At a recent press conference, Leonhardt stressed professional integrity – and said misconduct in his department will not be tolerated.

FITSNews reached out to HCPD for comment regarding the claims contained in the civil suit – but have yet to receive a response. Count on us to keep our audience apprised in the event that changes.

More importantly, count on us to continue shining a light on law enforcement misconduct in Horry County – and beyond.

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THE COMPLAINT…

(S.C. Fifteenth Judicial Circuit)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Callie Lyons is a relentless investigative journalist, researcher, and author known for exposing hard truths with heart and precision. As a journalist for FITSNews, she dives into high-profile and murky cases—like that of Mica Francis Miller— with fearless resolve and a sharp eye for detail, whether it’s tracking white-collar crime, uncovering religious abuse, or examining the often-bizarre behavior of those who believe they’re above the law.

Callie made waves with her groundbreaking 2007 book Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal, the first to reveal the dangers of forever chemicals, a story that helped inspire the film Dark Waters and influenced global scientific dialogue. Her work has appeared in numerous documentaries, including Toxic Soup, National Geographic’s Parched: Toxic Waters, and more recently Citizen Sleuth, which examines the complexities of true crime podcasting.

Whether she’s navigating environmental disasters or the darker corners of society, Lyons operates with one guiding belief: “Truth never damages a cause that is just.”

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