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An Upstate South Carolina fire captain is facing a single felony count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to booking records.
While the charge offers the only glimpse into the case against him, City of Clinton officials told FITSNews that Glenn “Will” Sickles IV, 34, was terminated within hours of his arrest Friday.
The city further disclosed its now-former fire captain was arrested “in conjunction” with the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) and the S.C. Attorney General’s Office (SCAG).
In a later statement (.pdf), the city vowed to cooperate not only with the sheriff’s office and the attorney general, but with “any other law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.”
It further directed any and all questions regarding Sickles’ case to the “appropriate investigating agencies.”
“The City of Clinton is committed to maintaining high standards of professional conduct and accountability among its employees and to preserving the safety and trust of the community we serve,” the statement read in part.
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As for Sickles himself, he was granted a $3,000 bond within hours of his arrest and termination – and has since been released from the Laurens County Detention Center, according to booking records.
Up until that fleeting Friday, Sickles had clocked more than a decade with the City of Clinton Fire Department. According to a since-deleted Facebook post from its official page, he was hired in 2014 and was promoted to the rank of captain in 2024.
Now without his helmet, Sickles becomes the second Upstate firefighter to lose his job amid child sex charges this month.
Earlier this month, both the Mayo and Hilltop fire departments suspended Joshua “Tiny” Nichols within hours of FITSNews exclusively reporting on his pending charges of incest and aggravated child molestation in Chatham County, Georgia.
Despite that revelation and his subsequent suspension, not one commissioner from either the Mayo or Hilltop fire district gave an official response to repeated requests for comment from FITSNews.
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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