Three Berkeley County officials charged with sexual misconduct following investigation

MONCKS CORNER, SC (WCSC) – The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has charged several former Berkeley County officials after multiple allegations of misconduct.

Deputy Detention Officer Avery Smith is accused of being involved in several instances of misconduct in the exercise of his authority at the Hill-Finklea Detention Center.

The first allegation stemmed from an incident between Smith and an inmate, but further investigation by SLED linked Smith to multiple incidents of unwanted touching and inappropriate sexual advances toward prison staff.

“We work hard every day to earn the trust of our citizens and the employees who work for us. I hope this does not affect the public’s trust in us,” said Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis. “As a result of these allegations, I immediately took steps to terminate the employee and supervisors involved, and I have asked SLED to conduct a full investigation into this case, and we have cooperated with all of SLED’s requests.”

Lieutenant Frankie Snider and Sergeant Christopher Dozier, both of Smith’s direct superiors, were fired for failure to intervene. Smith himself resigned during the investigation.

During the criminal investigation, officials concluded that all three were guilty of misconduct during their tenure, and all three were charged by SLED.

“No one is above the law – including law enforcement. We will continue to thoroughly review our policies to ensure this never happens again,” Lewis said. “I want to express my gratitude to the hard-working men and women of the Sheriff’s Office and the Detention Center. Our Internal Affairs Division will be committed to a full investigation of this incident.”

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