Former Lexington County deputy arrested for pulling gun on woman, SC cops say
A former Lexington County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Monday and charged in connection with an incident that happened when he was a member of the department, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Kyle Richard Sullivan, a 35-year-old Lexington resident, was charged with pointing and presenting a firearm at a person and malicious injury to property (value less than $2,000), SLED said.
The incident happened over the summer in the 5500 block of Platt Springs Road, the sheriff’s department said. That’s a mile from White Knoll High School.
The sheriff’s department said Sullivan was off duty on Aug. 10 when he pointed a gun at a woman as well as a witness and also shattered the passenger-side window of an SUV by hitting it with his hand.
Sullivan was standing in the road when he displayed the pistol “in a threatening manner,” according to an arrest warrant.
Information about a motive was not available, and there was no word if Sullivan had a relationship with the woman or witness prior to the incident.
“When I became aware of Mr. Sullivan’s actions, I started the process to terminate him and asked SLED to review the incident,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said in a news release. “Deputies must be held accountable when it comes to their interactions with the public — whether on duty or off.”
Koon fired Sullivan Aug. 11, the sheriff’s department said.
“Law enforcement has to maintain a trust with the community,” Koon said. “We can’t tolerate those who do anything to break that trust.”
Sullivan, who formerly served as a patrol deputy, turned himself in Monday morning and was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center, according to the sheriff’s department. Information about bond was not available.
The case will be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
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This story was originally published December 12, 2022 at 11:21 AM.
