Former Sheriff Chuck Wright Gets Bond, Ignores Reporters

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by ANDY FANCHER

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Beneath a cold, gray sky, former Spartanburg County, South Carolina sheriff Charles “Chuck” Wright and two co-defendants walked into the Greenville federal courthouse on the morning of October 27, 2025 for their arraignment on a series of public-corruption charges.

Inside the courtroom, Wright, former sheriff’s-office chaplain Amos Durham and former code-enforcement officer Lawson “L.B.” Watson stood before a U.S. magistrate judge as they were asked a series of procedural questions confirming they understood their rights and the charges filed against them.

Flanked by their respective attorneys, each formally waived the right to prosecution by indictment and consented to prosecution by information, a process that allows federal prosecutors to proceed without convening a grand jury when defendants agree to plead guilty.

In the gallery sat a cross-section of people whose lives were forever upended or altered by Wright and his scandal-scarred department. Families tied to contentious homicide and death investigations sat alongside citizens who, for years, demanded even a modicum of transparency.

These past and present constituents watched in silence as the former sheriff and his co-defendants were granted $25,000 unsecured bonds by U.S. Magistrate Judge William S. Brown, with standard conditions prohibiting firearm possession in their homes.

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That condition marks a major blow for Wright, whom FITSNews has noted possess an extensive firearm collection, ranging from pistols to submachine guns chambered in 9×19 mm and .45 ACP.

At least some of those weapons were reportedly stored in a reinforced, floor-to-ceiling safe built into Wright’s home on McCarter Drive in Wellford. Sources allege the safe was bankrolled by a local gambler whom Wright’s department later arrested – only to drop the charges after seizing what those sources described as a significant amount of cash.

According to multiple law-enforcement contacts, that incident mirrors a broader pattern of questionable seizures under Wright’s administration. At least $56,000 in seized currency from a separate illicit-trade investigation remains unaccounted for, according to documents and sources now under review by FITSNews.

In addition to the firearm restriction imposed on all three defendants, only Wright was ordered to participate in a substance-abuse program as directed by the U.S. Probation Office.

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Monday marked the first court appearance since federal charges were filed against the trio last month — the opening act in what is expected to be a series of proceedings on allegations that Wright and Durham siphoned money from a chaplain’s benevolence fund meant to help deputies in crisis, instead using it to enrich themselves and fuel Wright’s alleged pill dependency.

According to federal filings (.pdf), over $28,200 in improper ATM withdrawals were made between August 2022 and March 2025. Sources familiar with the investigation allege that approximately $4,000 of that amount was falsely obtained in the name of slain sheriff’s deputy Austin Aldridge, ahead of a county-funded trip to Washington, D.C., in 2023.

The same filings allege Wright pocketed at least 147 opioid pills under the guise of his department’s drug take-back program between May and September 2023, then cut a sheriff’s-office check to an “unindicted co-conspirator” while stockpiling controlled substances in September 2024.

Those filings reinforce numerous reports received by FITSNews regarding Wright’s alleged opioid abuse, including a 2024 crime-scene visit where a witness claims they watched him chew four 20-milligram oxycodone tablets belonging to their recently deceased mother.

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Wright has agreed to plead guilty to three charges: conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and obtaining controlled substances by misrepresentation.

Editor’s Note: None of the federal charges against Wright have any connection to recently publicized claims from former deputies who allege they were ordered to collect cash from illegal gambling kingpins and funnel the money — at Wright’s alleged direction — into his campaign coffers as early as 2004.

Durham has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds.

Watson, meanwhile, was ensnared in the probe for holding a paid county position as a code-enforcement officer despite having no clear job responsibilities and little documented output, all while maintaining access to law-enforcement equipment that sources say he used to target residents in the Reidville area.

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Both hard-copy and digital communications obtained by FITSNews indicate agents with the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) were aware of serious concerns involving Watson – including his law-enforcement access and the scope of his authority – as early as 2018, but did little more than acknowledge emails and certified letters.

Watson has also agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud totaling roughly $200,000.

Editor’s Note: In the weekend leading up to Monday’s hearing, Watson appeared to visit the author’s public Facebook page, where he liked multiple comments accusing FITSNews of “exaggerating” and urging the outlet to “leave [Wright] alone.”

After the duo’s arraignment hearing, an armada of television and print reporters — donning raincoats and carrying cameras wrapped in plastic — stood ready for Wright, who eventually exited the courthouse around 10:00 a.m. EDT holding an umbrella from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Golf Classic.

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The former sheriff left the building in lockstep with his attorneys, Greg Harris and former U.S. congressman Trey Gowdy, staying close as reporters crowded the sidewalk on East North Street.

He kept both hands tight on the umbrella as reporters tossed questions from every direction. Wright’s expression stayed fixed and unreadable — even when FITSNews asked about two convicted gamblers and a cold case dating back to his years as a patrol deputy.

Wright, Watson and Durham are scheduled to appear in federal court in Anderson County on Thursday, October 30, 2025, for a pretrial conference and possible plea hearing.

In addition to the federal case, Wright and Durham are the subjects of a separate SLED investigation in which Attorney General Alan Wilson assigned “prosecutorial responsibilities” (.pdf) to 10th Circuit Solicitor Micah Black.

Wilson was previously endorsed by Wright, who praised him in a 2018 campaign ad for “not standing for any public corruption” and said the two shared a “proven track record” together.

Black, meanwhile, has not responded to multiple requests for comment from FITSNews.

Separately, Wright faces 65 state ethics counts — two related to deputizing his son and 63 tied to credit-card spending that totaled more than $17,000 on items including Fuddruckers, cigarettes and SiriusXM.

Write to Andrew Fancher at andy@fitsnews.com.

This story may be updated.

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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.