|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
***
A critically acclaimed ballet dancer who traded his dancing shoes for a promising career in law enforcement has taken his “final bow,” as indicated by newly filed criminal charges brought by agents with the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
According to publicly available booking records, Mark “Grayson” Davis, 39, was booked into the Greenwood County Detention Center on Tuesday on one count of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of misconduct in office.
The arrest was effectuated by SLED, which as of publication had neither confirmed, denied nor contextualized the nature of the investigation.
“Additional information from SLED will be available in an upcoming news release,” SLED spokesperson Renee Wunderlich wrote in a text message.
***
***
In the absence of confirmed information, what remains is public record confirming Davis spent the better part of seven years building a law enforcement career, starting with the Abbeville County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) before later transferring to the Greenwood County.
Hailed as a “world-class ballet dancer” by the Associated Press amid his career swap around 2019, Abbeville County Sheriff Ray Watson called Davis “a good guy” and noted that “good people make good police officers.”
Watson, who has spoken candidly with FITSNews in the past, was not immediately available for comment on the day of Davis’s arrest.
Davis, however, is not Watson’s deputy to answer for.
While the duration of his employment with the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office remains unclear, social media accounts maintained by the office confirm Davis has most recently served as a K9 handler under Sheriff Dennis D. Kelly.
***
***
Multiple attempts to contact personnel at GCSO, including a captain and a sergeant, went unanswered. As of publication, the agency had not publicly acknowledged Davis’s arrest.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Davis’s career came to an abrupt halt following alleged discrepancies surrounding a “controlled buy,” though the precise sequence and nature of those alleged discrepancies remains unclear.
Whether the alleged discrepancies surrounding that controlled buy fold into SLED’s broader probe remains to be seen.
Davis nonetheless joins a growing list of South Carolina lawmen facing drug-related charges, including the recent arrest of former Pickens County deputy Joey Williamson on charges of possession with intent to distribute, as well as former Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, who pleaded guilty to obtaining controlled substances under false pretenses.
This story may be updated.
Write to Andrew Fancher at andy@fitsnews.com
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy Award–winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. He joined FITSNews in 2023 after leaving an NBC affiliate, where he served as on-air talent. His reporting focuses on public corruption in South Carolina, with an emphasis on law enforcement misconduct and abuse of power.
***
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.
1 comment
I bet he skips to the beat. Fancy Pants.
WTH has SC come to? And has a dog. Bet he was finding the stuff everywhere and the dealer paid the price to be let go.
WOW.
Blake