Former SC police officer exchange THC products in for home repair, SLED says
A former police officer gave a confidential informant cases of THC vape pens — previously seized from a vape store — in exchange for the informant’s work at the officer’s home, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Mark Anthony Hayes Jr., 39, was charged Thursday with breach of trust with fraudulent intent and misconduct in office after the former Darlington police officer took three cases of THC vape pens from an evidence room and gave them to a confidential informant who had repaired a water heater at Hayes’ home, a news release said.
On Oct. 13, Hayes seized and photographed 788 cartridges of suspected THC vapes pens following a search warrant at the Blue Island Smoke Shop in Darlington, the release said.
Nearly two months later, Hayes took a Darlington police informant to his home to repair a water heater. Following the repair, and in exchange for payment, Hayes drove the informant to DPD’s narcotics office, and gave the informant one case of seized “Tyson” vape pens and two cases of “Fryed Extract” vape pens that matched photographs from the Oct. 13 seizure, according to an arrest warrant.
The three cases of vape pens are valued at more than $2,000, the warrant said.
After inventorying the evidence room, police found no “Tyson” or “Fryed Extract” vape pens that matched photographs of the seizure, the warrant said.
Hayes was booked into the Darlington County Detention Center.
