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by DYLAN NOLAN
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outh Carolina fifth circuit solicitor Byron Gipson has come under intense legislative scrutiny in the wake of his office’s handling of the prosecution of Alexander Devonte Dickey – a career criminal accused of murdering 22-year-old Logan Hailey Federico in downtown Columbia, S.C. last May.
This scrutiny could result in Gipson’s impeachment (albeit for another issue altogether).
On Tuesday morning (February 17, 2026), a House subcommittee debated legislation – H.4564 – recommending the launch of impeachment proceedings against Gipson. While the House constitutional laws subcommittee declined to move the bill on to the full judiciary committee, it did empower an independent counsel to investigate the issue further.
The nexus of Gipson’s potential impeachment is his mishandling of the secretive release of of gang leader and convicted murderer Jeroid J. Price in the spring of 2023.
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This backroom deal was exclusively exposed by this media outlet, and the ensuing uproar revived calls for reform of South Carolina’s badly broken judicial system.
At the time of his release, Price had served nineteen years of a 35-year “mandatory minimum” prison sentence for the 2003 gang-related nightclub shooting of North Carolina football player Carl Smalls. That’s when retiring S.C. circuit court judge Casey Manning, powerful lawyer-legislator Todd Rutherford and Gipson collaborated to orchestrate his release.
After the state supreme court vacated Manning’s extra-legal, unconstitutional directive – Price fled from justice. However, he was apprehended 78 days later and returned to the custody of the S.C. Department of Corrections (SCDC).
At the time of Price’s illegal release, this news outlet noted that none of the attorneys who facilitated the killer’s secret release faced repercussions for their actions.
“If the claim is made that the legislature doesn’t have the power to impeach a solicitor then there is no way constitutionally to hold an elected solicitor accountable,” state representative Jordan Pace, the author of the impeachment bill, told FITSNews before the subcommittee hearing.
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“In South Carolina, it is the legislature which has also the authority under our current constitution to to hold judges, solicitors, even elected governors accountable, should they derelict their duty or commit a high crime, and that’s what this is about,” Pace added.
During the hearing, Pace’s assessment that the S.C. constitution empowers the legislature to impeach solicitors was challenged. At the matter is Article XV of the S.C. Constitution, which gives the House the power to power to impeach government officials.
Article I of Section XV reads “the House of Representatives alone shall have the power of impeachment in cases of serious crimes or serious misconduct in office by officials elected on a statewide basis, state judges, and such other state officers as may be designated by law.”
S.C. fourteenth circuit solicitor Duffie Stone testified that the state’s constitution doesn’t empower the legislature to impeach solicitors since they are not included in the constitution’s explicit definition of who could be impeached.
According to Stone, the constitutional authority “applies to three things: statewide officials, judges and state officers designated by law.”
Stone wasn’t alone in raising this issue.
“I’m not aware of any law that designates an impeachment authority over a solicitor… am I missing something?” subcommittee member Spencer Wetmore asked.
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S.C. House speaker pro tem Tommy Pope, a former solicitor, concurred.
“It did not ever envision the solicitors,” Pope testified. “I really find it ironic, because all I’ve heard is the ‘legislature’s got too much of their thumb on the judiciary and too much of their thumb on the executive branch.’ But now we’re going to expand it, and we’re going to be able to impeach everybody, and that’s what we’re going to spend our time doing, whether it’s political vendettas or otherwise.”
Wetmore called the impeachment inquiry request, which is devoid of specific allegations against Gipson beyond his handling of the Price case, “a huge Pandora’s box that we’re talking about opening some wide ranging investigation or inquiry on.”
S.C. Representative Justin Bamberg characterized the situation as electioneering, pointing out that calls to impeach Gipson coincided with the guilty plea of former S.C. Freedom Caucus chairman RJ May III by federal authorities on child pornography charges.
“September 29 2025 – that’s the day representative RJ May pled guilty, in federal court to sending out child porn,” Bamberg reminded Pace.
Bamberg also tied the issue to the 2026 gubernatorial campaign of fifth district congressman Ralph Norman.
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“September 30, 2025 is when congressman Ralph Norman, who is also a candidate for governor, starts beating the drum (to) impeach Byron Gibson,” Bamberg continued, “Does that sound about right?”
“I will not participate in feeding into this hyper-nonsense political-BS that’s extorting people with broken hearts and taking advantage of folks who going through some real stuff – I’m not voting for that,” Bamberg added.
While the panel declined to move the bill forward, it voted on partisan lines to adopt chairman Weston Newton‘s motion that the House judiciary committee retain outside counsel to provide an opinion on whether the body can legally conduct an impeachment proceeding against a solicitor, and if so whether Gipson should face such a proceeding. Former upstate solicitor Walt Wilkins was recommended to conduct the inquiry.
Wilkins was not immediately available for comment to FITSNews.
Should the bill eventually clear the subcommittee after an inquiry by outside counsel, it would next fall upon the full House judiciary committee – and later the full House – to decide whether Gipson’s alleged wrongdoings are significant enough to report articles of impeachment to the S.C. Senate.
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SOLICITOR GIPSON’S RESPONSE…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
(Via: Travis Bell)
Dylan Nolan is the director of special projects at FITSNews. He graduated from the Darla Moore school of business in 2021 with an accounting degree. Got a tip or story idea for Dylan? Email him here. You can also engage him socially @DNolan2000.
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10 comments
Why was my earlier comment regarding Gipson and Lott’s extended confinement without bail of an Asian American businessman in the Alvin S Glenn dungeon, deleted?
They Should Go After Duffie Stone! See How Many Criminals he Lets Go!! Also, The Fact that there are Criminals he WILL NOT Prosecute!!
Duffie Stone is the 14th District’s Solicitor! He Should be in Jail!!
They did the right thing in getting Wilkins to look into it. One of a handful of honest Solicitors or former solicitors who will look at the facts and apply the law properly.
All Walt Wilkins is gonna do is run up a massive bill and then say whatever he thinks will help himself. If he has some axe to grind from when he was solicitor, he will use this opportunity to do so.
You must have some personal vendetta, what axe does he have to grind? Maybe his predecessor or his replacement does. Bob I can’t do anything without direction or Cindy the daughter in law of a convicted criminal
Duffie Stone needs to sweep around his own front door before thinking he is immune!
Would seem that if the General Assembly’s impeachment power does not extend to solicitors, then the removal on address option is available. Wonder why they don’t touch upon that.
Can’t start impeaching Solicitors for this type of conduct . Where would it end and who the hell would want to be a Sol under these circumstances ?
Maybe we should start impeaching SOL’s for securing to much jail time for a Defendant . Why don’t we put Rutherford in jail for negotiating the plea ?
Maybe we should force the Clerk in Murdough trial to do time with Murdaugh which convicted him after she interfered with the jury process ,
You are swinging the Bat of Blame against the wrong Ball . If you don’t see understand who to blame then you have no right to complain at all
If they didn’t impeach Barney Giese for his habitual drunkenness and dui arrest then why bother with this. A criminal investigation into Gipson, Rutherford and Manning would be a better route. The FBI could easily make a public corruption case on all three.