|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
by ANDY FANCHER
***
A small South Carolina town already grappling with criminal charges against its current town administrator and a former police chief is now facing a drug distribution case involving a former town councilman.
According to booking records, Bradley Eugene Lyles, 48, was arrested Sunday (December 28, 2025) by the York County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) on two counts of possession with intent to distribute. One count involves methamphetamine; the other involves cocaine.
The same records indicate Lyles spent one night in the York County Detention Center before being granted a $10,000 bond on each charge by County Magistrate Leon Yard. He subsequently posted the amount Monday morning.
Following an email from FITSNews, YCSO said the incident report related to Lyles’ arrest was not yet complete and remains an “unapproved draft,” adding that a finalized report would eventually be provided.
Lyles’ charges come roughly one year after he was voted out of office following two terms on the Great Falls Town Council. He served from 2016 to 2024, according to public records.
***
***
That record is reinforced by Lyles’ own commentary on his Facebook page. In the months following his electoral defeat, he wrote about feeling as though a train was “headed right at” him and told constituents it was “dark af in this bitch fosho.”
By October 2024, Lyles had updated his Facebook banner photo, which currently shows his former council nameplate with the word “Council” crossed out and replaced with the phrase “Bradd Lyles — Never Again Member.”
Additional posts made after his departure include status updates referencing betrayal and deceit, including the line “ain’t that a bitch!?!”, as well as rhetorical questions about whether he deserved to be “silently given up on,” writing, “that shit destroyed me!”
In a post made just last month, Lyles wrote, “When the same bitches keeps knocking us off??? Well, that can make us bitter people.”
It remains unclear which “bitches” and “shit” the former council member continues to refer to online.
***
***
What is clear, however, is that the Great Falls Town Council has struggled to function cohesively amid a year marked by political infighting and repeated public disputes, conditions that now require an increased law enforcement presence at council meetings.
That turmoil, which has frequently played out both online and in person, preceded the arrival of agents with the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), who were requested to investigate “allegations of fraud” raised by newly appointed Town Administrator Josh Glenn.
Glenn was instead arrested by SLED earlier this month on charges of official misconduct, criminal conspiracy and three counts of first-degree harassment. Investigators allege Glenn placed unauthorized tracking devices on vehicles belonging to political opponents.
Probable cause affidavits further allege that former Great Falls Police Chief Kimberly Benenhaley aided Glenn in placing the aforementioned devices. This was purportedly done “without proper legal process.”
Benenhaley resigned roughly six months before being charged with the same crimes as Glenn, becoming the town’s fifth police chief to depart in three years. At the time of her separation, she told FITSNews there was “nobody to trust” and that “something was being covered up.”
As of publication, SLED has at least two “active and ongoing” investigations involving Great Falls.
This story may be updated.
***
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.
***
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.



