Richburg, SC, Fire District Board Axed, Chief on Leave Amid Probe
The Herald (Rock Hill, S.C.)
(TNS)
Officials in Chester County have asked South Carolina state police to investigate after receiving information about “potentially fraudulent and/or criminal activity” at a rural fire protection district, the county said in a statement Thursday morning.
The Chester County Council said it took emergency action at a special meeting Wednesday night, where it removed the Richburg Fire Protection District board, the statement said.
“The Chester County Council announced today that it has received substantive information regarding potentially fraudulent and/or criminal activity within the Richburg Fire Protection District,” the statement said. “These complaints were taken seriously, reviewed by the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, and determined to warrant referral to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) for a full, independent investigation.”
Details about what information county officials received have not been released.
The county also released the statement on its official Facebook page.
The Richburg area is near Interstate 77 in rural Chester County, located between Rock Hill and Columbia. Chester County has around 32,000 residents.
Officials said fire protection services will continue without interruption as the investigation is done. The statement said the Chester County Sheriff’s Office asked the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate.
In a statement to The Herald Thursday, the sheriff’s office said Sheriff Max Dorsey was told Monday about “allegations of criminal activity at the Richburg Fire Department.”
Dorsey reviewed materials then made an official referral to SLED on Tuesday to handle the investigation, the sheriff’s office statement said.
The Richburg fire chief was put on paid administrative leave and Chester County Emergency Services took over oversight of operations, the statement said.
County officials said a third party will do an independent review in addition to the SLED probe, officials said.
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