|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
***
An Upstate, South Carolina lawman is out on bond after being arrested on charges of prostitution, bank fraud and obstruction of justice.
Records show Fredrick “Treny” Payne, 43, was arrested Thursday and booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center. A spokesperson for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirmed their agents effectuated the arrest.
As for the catalyst behind the case, sources say it may have involved a massage parlor.
***
***
Whatever the backstory, Payne’s own Facebook page indicates he most recently worked for the Pacolet Police Department (PPD), located in the east-central part of Spartanburg County.
That tenure didn’t come without issue, as Pacolet Police Chief Joseph Hawes confirmed to FITSNews that Payne was placed on unpaid leave after SLED notified him of the probe.
“[Payne] subsequently resigned earlier this week,” Hawes told FITSNews.
Prior to Pacolet, a spokesperson for the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) confirmed Payne clocked roughly eight months with the agency, working from Nov. 6, 2023, to July 17, 2024.
The same SCSO spokesperson confirmed Payne had two prior stints at the Spartanburg County Detention Center — the same facility where he was booked Thursday.
The first stint lasted about six months, from Oct. 7, 2013, to April 15, 2014. The second, from April 10, 2017, to Nov. 4, 2023, spanned more than six years.
SLED told FITSNews a news release on Payne’s arrest is forthcoming.
Just last month, the same agency arrested yet another former SCSO deputy on a charge of breach of trust with fraudulent intent.
***
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.