Allegations that led to SLED investigation of mayor revealed in police report
New details are emerging of the incident that launched a state law enforcement investigation of the new mayor of Chapin.
The S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) had previously confirmed agents were investigating Chapin Mayor Bill Mitchell over an alleged assault that occurred the day he was sworn in to office.
Now, the Chapin Police Department has released the incident report that launched the investigation. Because the case involves the mayor who ultimately oversees the police department, the complaint was forwarded to SLED.
The report confirms the incident allegedly occurred at Chapin Town Hall on Nov. 7, days after Mitchell was elected the new mayor, when he and others arrived at town hall expecting to be sworn in.
The town clerk alerted police after the mayor-elect and others entered the lobby around 8:50 a.m., causing some confusion among town staff.
“It should be noted that town staff were unaware that a swearing in would be occurring that day for the mayor-elect,” Griffin wrote in the report. “The clerk stated that she called the Town Administrator to advise her. Then she went back into the lobby.”
At some point, the clerk said Mitchell “grabbed her by both shoulders.” She and Town Administrator Nicholle Burroughs then entered the police department, which is in the same building as the town hall, and the clerk filed a formal complaint.
Griffin notes in the report that the matter was immediately forwarded to SLED, “given the clear conflict of interest.”
The State reached out to Mitchell about the allegations in the report, but did not receive a response before publication. Mitchell did post to his Facebook page about the incident on Thursday.
“Because the matter involved a town employee and the mayor-elect, it would have been a conflict of interest for the Chapin Police Department or Lexington County Sherrif Department (sic) to conduct the investigation. Accordingly, SLED was called to handle the investigation, and I am prohibited from discussing any details while their work is ongoing,” Mitchell wrote in the post.
“What I can say is that I have full confidence in our legal system and hope for a prompt resolution,” the mayor wrote. “I am the same person you have known for the past 51 years. I have never before been accused of criminal conduct or inappropriate physical contact of any kind, nor do I tolerate such behavior.”
Chapin police released the report to The State after receiving “confirmation from SLED... that releasing the report would not interfere with their ongoing investigation,” Police Chief Thomas Griffin said in an email.
Mitchell won the Nov. 4 election in unusual circumstances, after his opponent, incumbent Mayor Al Koon, had died less than three weeks before Election Day. Koon’s name was still listed on voters’ ballots, but notices were posted in polling places that he was no longer a candidate and the late mayor ended up winning only a single vote.
Newly elected candidates normally wouldn’t take office until the following year, but because of Koon’s death, Mitchell argued the office was vacant, and he should be sworn in immediately after the results of the Nov. 4 election had been certified.
More than two weeks later, Mitchell announced after a specially-called meeting of the town council that Burroughs would be leaving her post as town administrator, and that going forward the mayor would supervise town staff directly.
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