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For nearly nine months, agents with the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) investigated allegations that a Lowcountry clerk of court used equipment to record conversations to which she was “not a party.”
The subject of the allegations, per a SLED spokesperson, was Berkeley County clerk of court Leah Guerry Dupree, a Republican first elected to the position in November 2018.
Now running unopposed for a third term in November 2026, Dupree has spent more than seven years overseeing court records and filings, with access to sensitive legal proceedings and confidential case information across one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing counties.
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Despite having performed these duties under what she calls an “organized, efficient and professional” clerk of court’s office, Dupree’s tenure has — evidently — not been without controversy that drew notice of the state’s top judicial official.
And that’s putting it lightly.
According to SLED, South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice John Kittredge requested last summer that agents investigate Dupree upon allegations she had recorded other people’s conversations using “equipment.”
What that “equipment” allegedly was, as well as what it was suspected to have captured, remains unclear as of this publishing.
“Following SLED’s investigation, a copy of the investigative report was provided to Chief Justice Kittredge,” SLED told FITSNews.
As for what the aforementioned report contained, like the allegations themselves, it also remains unclear. What isn’t in question, though, is that SLED closed the case against Dupree just six weeks ago, on May 19, 2026, with “no charges” filed.
Upon being provided this information by SLED, FITSNews reached out to Dupree for comment. Unlike the state agency, however, getting a response from a clerk of court who has vowed to “always be accessible and accountable” proved fruitless.
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While she did — to her credit — call this reporter back, she declined to comment, hung up, and did not respond to a follow-up text.
For Dupree, allegations significant enough for the state’s top judicial official to request a SLED investigation apparently did not warrant a comment or public explanation.
Regardless, FITSNews has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to SLED seeking the entire case file.
This story may be updated.
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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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1 comment
Sounds like a David Owen move to just close it with nothing found. Oh wait, he’s gone! He was a disgrace to any investigation especially that of Justice for Daniel Reed Smith! Don’t forget they are ALL friends!