‘Difficult ordeal’: Suspended Marlboro County sheriff considering his future, attorney says

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Suspended Marlboro County Sheriff Charles Lemon is “resting and recovering” a day after being acquitted in his fedecral use of force trial, his attorney said.

“This has been a difficult ordeal for him, but Charles loves Marlboro County, and he was born and raised there as you heard in court,” Morgan Martin told News13 on Tuesday. “He wants to do what’s best, certainly, for the county.”

Lemon was on trial in U.S. District Court’s Florence division for allegedly instructing former deputy David Andrew Cook to use a Taser on prisoner Jarrel Johnson six times at the county’s detention center in May 2020. Authorities said he did so “without legal justification.”

A jury deliberated for about an hour Monday night before returning their verdict. News13 has reached out to Johnson and his father for comment.

Over the course of Lemon’s five-day trial, Martin filed for two acquittals. Both were denied by Judge Joseph Dawson III, who ruled there was enough evidence for the jury to determine a conviction.

Lemon testified on Monday, speaking about the kind of sheriff he was.

“I’m the type of sheriff who’s out in the field with people, hands-on,” Lemon said. “Supporting people as best as I can . . . treat people the way you want to be treated.”

Gov. Henry McMaster suspended Lemon in December 2021 and appointed former Bennettsville Chief of Police Larry McNeil to his position “until Lemon is acquitted, convicted, the indictment is otherwise disposed of, or until a sheriff is elected and qualifies in the next general election.”

A spokesman told News13 on Tuesday that McMaster is reviewing documentation before making a decision.

Lemon’s name won’t appear on November’s ballot as he opted not to run during this summer’s primaries, and Martin said he may not opt for a write-in campaign.

“It may well be that he would be entitled to retake the office of sheriff, but I know he has not made a determination to do that,” he said. “It’s within several months of a new term, and didn’t run in either of the primaries to be in the general election.”

Kyle Morgan, an assistant professor of political science at Francis Marion University, said it’s rare for cases like Lemon’s to even get inside a courtroom.

“Prosecutors are dependent upon police to bring them cases to try, and police are dependent on prosecutors to prosecute the cases they bring, so there’s this symbiotic relationship between them,” he said. “And in this one, it does get flipped, where the two sides are now adversarial.”

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Jackie LiBrizzi is a multimedia journalist at News13. Jackie is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey, and was raised in Piedmont, South Carolina. Jackie joined the News13 team in June 2023 after she graduated as a student-athlete from the University of South Carolina in May 2023. Follow Jackie on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook , or Instagram , and read more of her work he r e .

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