SC sheriff won’t face charges over voicemail
Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone will not be charged by Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office for voicemails Boone allegedly left for Florence County Finance Director Kevin Yokim that contain language that can be interpreted as threats.
Robert Kittle, communications director of the attorney general’s office, confirmed Thursday afternoon that Deputy Attorney General Heather Weiss looked at the matter, and her recommendation not to charge Boone was accepted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Don Zelenka, Chief Deputy Attorney General W. Jeffrey Young and Wilson.
Beyond looking at the matter and approving the recommendation of his subordinates, Wilson, who was endorsed by Boone at a spring news conference in Florence before the June primary election, had no direct involvement in the decision.
Kittle previously told other media outlets that although the voicemails were unprofessional and rude, it would be difficult to prove in court that a crime was committed.
The alleged threats stem from an email chain between Yokim and Boone regarding an expenditure submitted by Boone regarding a hotel stay during a conference in Myrtle Beach.
In one of the voicemails, the person who identified himself as Boone mentions sending a deputy to Yokim’s home if the person is not immediately called back.
In another voicemail, the person who identified himself as Boone refers to Yokim as an “nerdy, um, intelligent bastard” and questions why Yokim is questioning the expenditures.
The decision on whether to charge Boone was left to the attorney general’s office by the office of Ed Clements, the solicitor for the 12th Judicial Circuit that includes Florence and Marion counties, and the office of William B. Rogers Jr, the solicitor for the 4th Judicial Circuit that includes Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon and Marlboro counties.
Clements said he was provided the information by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and he asked the agency to present the information to another solicitor’s office close by. Clements said his regular dealings with both Boone and Yokim presented a conflict of interest.
Clements added that after researching the matter, the deputy solicitor in the 4th Judicial Circuit determined that he, too, had a conflict of interest due to personal relationships with Boone and Yokim, so the matter was referred to Wilson’s office.
The Morning News attempted to contact SLED regarding its investigation of Boone, but the voicemail box of SLED’s Katherine Richardson was full, and a follow-up call was forwarded to another line where a voicemail could not be left.
This story was originally published August 31, 2018 at 9:16 AM.