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by JENN WOOD
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The mayor of a small South Carolina town, its police chief and two former law enforcement officials have been charged in a sweeping public corruption investigation involving alleged ticket quotas, manipulated citations and pressure on officers to generate revenue.
McBee mayor Glenn C. Odom, 77, was charged on Tuesday (July 28, 2026) with criminal conspiracy and three counts of misconduct in office, according to a news release from the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
Current McBee police chief Timothy R. Knight, 51, former police chief Michael A. Irvin, 52, and former police captain Gregory P. Block, 41, were each charged Monday with criminal conspiracy and one count of misconduct in office.
All four were booked into the Chesterfield County detention center.
According to arrest warrants, the alleged conspiracy began shortly after Odom took office in early 2023 and involved imposing ticket quotas and fine assessments intended to generate money for the town.
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SLED investigators say multiple officers reported facing “consistent pressure” to issue large numbers of citations. From approximately 2024 through 2025, investigators alleged, officers were expected to write at least ten tickets per shift.
South Carolina law prohibits law enforcement agencies from requiring officers to issue a specified number of citations during a designated period – although as FITSNews has repeatedly noted, that law is often ignored.
But the ticketing allegations represent only one component of the case.
Separate warrants accused Odom of paying and directing McBee police officers to procure votes for selected candidates during the 2024 Republican primary election. He is also accused of improperly transferring $35,000 in seized money into the town’s general operating fund before the money was legally forfeited.
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“HELP ME PAY FOR THE NEW LOAN”
According to SLED, text messages recovered during the investigation tied ticket production directly to McBee’s financial needs.
In a November 2023 exchange, Odom allegedly told then-chief Irvin that officers Knight and Desiree Sojka were “writing their share,” but said Block needed to “pick it up.”
Odom then asked Irvin whether he could write four or five tickets per day to help pay for a new loan, according to the warrant.
Irvin allegedly responded that he was waiting for another radar device before returning to traffic enforcement.
At the time, investigators say McBee had applied for two federal loans totaling approximately $178,300.
In March 2024, Odom allegedly sent Irvin another message calculating how many tickets would be necessary to purchase and equip a new police vehicle.
“It will take 12 tickets per month from 6 officers to buy a new car and equip car and officer,” Odom wrote, according to the warrant.
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Former McBee police officer Jerriell Wright told SLED that Odom — in Irvin’s presence — initially instructed him to “get ten a day.”
Investigators say Odom was particularly interested in citations carrying $440 fines. Wright allegedly told SLED that Irvin was once sent to his home to ask why he had written seatbelt citations, which carried $25 fines, instead of more lucrative speeding tickets.
Text messages cited in the warrants show Odom repeatedly tracking Wright’s ticket production.
In April 2024, Wright allegedly reported writing 38 tickets in one day, including nine carrying $440 fines. Odom praised the production and continued monitoring whether Wright could reach 100 tickets over the weekend.
The following day, Wright confirmed he had issued 101, according to the warrant.
During another exchange in July 2024, Odom allegedly asked Wright whether issuing 70 tickets was possible. Wright later reported finishing with 65 tickets — including twelve $440 citations — prompting Odom to tell him he “couldn’t be more proud.”
Wright later claimed he issued 166 tickets during that weekend alone.
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CITATIONS ALLEGEDLY WRITTEN IN ANOTHER OFFICER’S NAME
The investigation also uncovered allegations that citations were fraudulently attributed to Block to make it appear he was meeting the expected quota.
According to Wright, Knight asked him to issue tickets under Block’s name to keep Odom “off Capt. Block’s back.”
In August 2024, Block allegedly sent Wright his login credentials for the department’s citation software. Block then instructed Wright to claim he had used Block’s computer because his own login was not working if anyone questioned the arrangement, according to the warrant.
After Wright reported issuing ten tickets, Block allegedly responded, “You are the man brother.”
The following month, Block again asked Wright to “help your (lieutenant) out with a few,” investigators allege.
Warrants also accused Knight of knowing about and encouraging the arrangement. When Wright reported that he had issued sixteen tickets under Block’s name, Knight allegedly replied, “Awesome! Thank you.”
Knight responded “Good deal!” when Wright later reported issuing another thirteen citations for Block, according to SLED.
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FINE COLLECTIONS AND TARGETING DRIVERS
Other messages cited by investigators suggest Odom was involved not only in the volume of citations but also in the offenses charged, the amount of fines assessed and efforts to collect money immediately.
In one exchange, Wright allegedly told Odom he had stopped a group of Hispanic drivers and listed multiple violations carrying $440 fines.
Odom allegedly asked whether the violations could be rewritten as window-tint citations “for fine amt” and whether officers should try to collect the money before the drivers left town.
Approximately 24 minutes later, Wright reported the fines totaled $1,810 but said the motorists were paying $2,000, according to the warrant.
SLED noted that McBee officers said converting speeding tickets to window-tint violations allowed the town to retain more of the resulting revenue.
During another encounter, Wright allegedly threatened a driver with jail if he did not pay. Odom responded that the problem with taking the driver to jail was that the town would “lose $” because McBee had to pay Chesterfield County for housing municipal detainees.
The warrants also cite an incident in which Wright reported responding to a possible debit-card theft at a Subway restaurant. Odom allegedly told him to have those involved return on Monday because Wright had “tickets to write.”
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ALLEGEDLY PAYING AN OFFICER TO DELIVER VOTES
Two additional misconduct charges against Odom stem from allegations unrelated to the ticket-quota scheme.
One warrant accuses the mayor of using his authority over McBee police officers to procure votes for candidates he supported in the June 2024 Republican primary.
According to SLED, Odom asked Wright to transport family members and others to the polls to vote for Mike Burch, a candidate for Fourth Circuit solicitor and Odom’s cousin, and Eddie Kirkley, a candidate for Chesterfield County Council.
Odom allegedly offered Wright $100 in gas money to transport as many voters as possible.
Investigators say Odom provided Wright with a list identifying his preferred candidates and instructed him to accompany voters into the voting booth under the guise of assisting them — allowing Wright to verify that they voted “the right way.”
Odom allegedly promised Wright a bonus if he produced more than twelve voters and instructed him to report numbers, but not names.
Wright told SLED he transported approximately 20 people to the polls, showed them the candidates Odom wanted them to support and received $300 from the mayor.
One text image Wright later sent Odom appeared to have been taken inside a voting booth and showed a completed ballot cast for Burch and Kirkley, according to the warrant.
SLED also alleges Odom instructed Irvin to ask a neighboring preacher to support the candidates. He separately told officer Sojka that she and her husband “need to vote” for Burch and Kirkley.
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$35,000 IN SEIZED MONEY
Odom’s third misconduct charge accuses him of misappropriating $35,000 seized from a motorist during a June 2024 traffic stop.
McBee police seized suspected drugs and $37,584 from the vehicle, according to the warrant. The driver maintained the money was legitimate business income.
SLED investigators say they found no evidence the driver forfeited or waived his rights to the money — or that a court authorized its forfeiture — before Odom transferred $35,000 from the town’s narcotics savings account.
Bank records allegedly show Odom personally directed the transfer by telephone on January 8, 2025, moving the money into McBee’s general fund to pay town operating expenses.
Odom was not a signatory on the narcotics account at the time, according to the warrant.
After the transfer, the general fund’s balance eventually fell to $871.97 — indicating that at least $34,128.03 of the seized money had been spent.
McBee transferred $35,000 back into the narcotics account on June 20, 2025, investigators say.
SLED alleges the transfer violated state laws governing the handling and use of money seized in drug investigations.
The agency said its findings were based on interviews with current and former McBee employees, police and town records, financial documents and electronic communications.
The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office will prosecute the cases.
The charges are allegations, and all four defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
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RELEASE/ WARRANT …
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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