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The Town of South Congaree, a small municipality in central Lexington County, South Carolina convened a special called meeting Wednesday afternoon (April 29, 2026) with little advance notice to the public. The council then proceeded to spend nearly five hours behind closed doors in executive session with no explanation as to why.
The agenda, released on the eve of the meeting, cited the purpose of the special called session as a “discussion of personnel matters” related to the duties of the town’s administrator, Crystal Bouknight, and its freshly appointed police chief, Carl “CJ” Quinlan.
The agenda further noted the discussion was related to “personnel leave.” Hours later, that language was revised to read “personnel matters.”
Beyond that, little is known.
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FITSNews was present during Wednesday’s special called meeting due to the chronically embattled police department being on the agenda. Only one member of the public was in attendance — there to voice unrelated concerns over the town’s business licensing practices.
No matter the purpose, both attendees were ordered into the parking lot at 6:06 p.m. EDT once the four member council moved into executive session almost immediately after convening.
For the next five hours, FITSNews waited outside the cinder block building that serves as South Congaree’s town hall, police department and administrative office. The CSX railroad tracks run mere steps away, a fact made known by the multiple cargo trains that passed by during the wait.
Those hours outside were not without incident, though. At one point, Chief Quinlan burst through the council chamber door and accused FITSNews of “eavesdropping” on the executive session – in which he was a named subject.
He further claimed the press could not photograph the premises.
Both assertions were false, a fact confirmed when the town’s attorney, Joseph D. Dickey, Jr., stepped in and defused the situation.
Quinlan later apologized for his outburst, acknowledging FITSNews had called his “bluff” during the prior exchange. He offered that he did not know he was speaking with a reporter, prompting this reporter to ask why that mattered.
That point was not directly addressed.
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Outbursts and apologies notwithstanding, Quinlan was later observed being escorted by Dickey out of the council meeting room and walking along the exterior of the building toward the town hall entrance. As Quinlan entered, Bouknight exited through the same glass door.
Dickey then escorted her back along the same path and into the meeting room, where little additional activity was observed for hours.
It was not until 10:54 p.m. EDT – long after naval aircraft had stopped flying overhead – that the council reconvened in their wood paneled chamber that simultaneously serves as the town’s courtroom.
Mayor Cindy Campbell announced that “no votes were taken during executive session” and adjourned the meeting within the minute.
In a phone call the following morning, Mayor Campbell respectfully declined to detail what transpired during the town’s “confidential personnel discussion,” emphasizing that “information is not being shared or discussed.”
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“We want only the best for our town, our police department and our staff,” Campbell added. “We will continue to work to better our town’s image and reputation… even if it keeps us up until midnight.”
Quinlan, however, did not respond to a call placed to his town-issued phone.
It was not the first time in recent history the town’s top law enforcement officer had been the subject of questions.
Quinlan’s predecessor, Steven Jonas, retired in September 2025 amid an off duty car accident involving his patrol vehicle, questions surrounding his body-worn camera footage and a state investigation into “allegations of excessive force.”
Charges stemming from the car accident were swiftly dropped, while potential charges in the state investigation were declined to prosecute by the S.C. attorney general’s office.
Write to Andrew Fancher at andy@fitsnews.com.
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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.
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