Investigation against mayor of Florence over allegations of breach of trust

FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) — Florence Mayor Teresa Myers-Ervin is being investigated by the South Carolina Department of Law Enforcement for breach of trust.

SLED was alerted by Florence police of a possible “conflict of interest” related to an incident involving a neighbor in mid-April.

According to an April 19 police report, Molette Jackson, the neighbor’s granddaughter and caregiver, claims that Myers-Ervin and her husband withdrew $9,000 from her elderly grandfather’s bank account the same day they received power of attorney over his estate.

Jackson moved to Gladstone Street in February to care for her grandfather, who had recently died, and when she learned of the power of attorney, she turned to another relative for answers.

“I asked why they had a power of attorney and she just told me that Grandpa wanted it that way,” Jackson said. “They said they had been doing it that way for years, so it never occurred to me to question anything. I just knew he had to get out of the nursing home.”

Jackson also mentioned that repairs to the house were not being made and that there was no clean drinking water at times, which prompted her to ask the Ervins about the $9,000.

Although Jackson was able to obtain power of attorney over her grandfather, she said the Ervins still controlled his financial accounts.

Myers-Ervin defended her actions by arguing that she had been granted power of attorney at the request of Mr. Buck Smith, a lifelong friend.

“He knew me before I was born,” said the mayor. “We have lived next door to each other for about 40 years. My husband has been managing his account for years.”

Myers-Ervin added that she has receipts for the $9,000 withdrawal and that it was used for everything Smith asked her to do. While she initially said she would provide copies of those receipts, a representative for the mayor has since said they no longer plan to do so due to the ongoing investigation.