A South Carolina sheriff and two deputies angered by a man videotaping a police investigation jailed him for three days, created a fake police report, tried to destroy his cellphone and lied to the FBI about it all, according to federal indictments.
Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood, his Chief Deputy Robert Sprouse and Sheriff’s Lt. Johnny Neal Jr. were charged Tuesday with several counts ranging from civil rights violations to lying to police.
A large crowd gathered at the Chester County Courthouse Wednesday morning as Donald “Max” Dorsey was sworn in as interim sheriff.
He will serve as sheriff until Underwood is convicted or acquitted, until the indictment is disposed of, or until a new sheriff is elected in the next general election. An emotional Dorsey told our television news partner Channel 9 Eyewitness News that he wants to bring the community together and restore trust.
Underwood is the 12th South Carolina sheriff indicted or accused of criminal activity connected to their job in the past decade. Underwood, Neal and Sprouse will have their first court appearances May 21.
