Crime & Courts

Police officer fired and is being investigated by SC Law Enforcement Division. Here’s why

The Irmo Police Department said an officer was terminated Friday.

Officer Lee Haley was fired after an internal investigation determined he was responsible for removing political signs, Chief Bobby Dale said in a news release.

The signs were for Gabrielle Penfield, who is a candidate for a seat on the Irmo Town Council, according to the release. Penfield had reported that the signs were stolen, police said.

An investigation was opened Friday by Irmo police’s internal affairs division, and it was determined that Haley was responsible for the removal of these signs, according to the release.

Information about why the signs were removed was not available.

In addition to losing his job, Haley is now being investigated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Police said they turned the investigation over to SLED in the event that Penfield wants to pursue criminal charges.

“We hold our officers accountable, especially when they go against our core values of integrity, professionalism, and dependability,” Dale said in the release.

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Noah Feit
The State
Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription
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