Deputy was fired and arrested, Richland County sheriff says. Here’s why
A deputy who was a 3-year veteran with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department was recently fired then arrested, according to a news release.
On June 19, 28-year-old Sean Swayz was charged with petit larceny ($2,000 or less), the sheriff’s department said in a Monday afternoon news release.
The sheriff’s department said it was notified of a potential theft involving Swayz. An investigation revealed that Swayz took a watch from the lost and found at the Richland County courthouse that did not belong to him, according to the release. Information about when the watch was taken, and what led to the investigation, was not available.
Swayz was arrested and booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, the sheriff’s department said.
The watch was recovered, according to the release.
A personal recognizance bond was set at $2,125 and posted Monday, Richland County court records show. Swayz is not currently listed on the jail’s inmate roster.
The arrest was more than a week after Sheriff Leon Lott fired Swayz on June 8, the sheriff’s department said. Swayz had worked for the sheriff’s department since January 2023, according to the release.
“I hold my deputies to a higher standard because of the trust placed in them by the public,” Lott said in the release. “Any act of theft, regardless of the value of the property involved, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
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