Horry County has fired two police officers, accused of getting paid for working a special assignment without actually reporting to duty.
Lance Corporal David Rexroad and Corporal Wesley Harris turned themselves in after arrest warrants went out on them this morning.
Both men have been released on their own recognizance. For now, they will no longer patrol the roads of Horry County, and it could be they'll never work as police again.
The Prestwick Homeowners Association and the Horry County Police Department have an arrangement that's typical for many subdivisions.
Police officers patrol the subdivision in county-owned cruisers during times when they're not on duty for the county.
The officer takes home most of the pay. The county gets a third of it. But county officials were tipped off that Lance Corporal David Rexroad and Corporal Wesley Harris were getting paid from Prestwick, without actually showing up to patrol.
The department's internal affairs division investigated. "Looked at various documents, the GPS units on the cruisers, as well as ticket books, payroll accounts, things of that nature to actually determine what we were looking at, the scope of it," Lisa Bourcier, HC Public Information, said.
The officers are charged with obtaining goods under false pretenses. They will not be allowed to go through pre-trial intervention, which would let them do community service and maybe have the charges dismissed.
Solicitor Greg Hembree says police officers have to be held to a higher standard. "When you choose to be the one charged with enforcing the laws, then you really have to be following them and to do otherwise undermines the confidence of the community in the entire process," Greg Hembree, 15th Circuit Solicitor, said.
Hembree says if they're convicted, that should be the end of Rexroad and Harris's law enforcement careers. "Officers that have been convicted of crimes in my opinion, in my view, shouldn't be eligible to continue to serve in that capacity."
Hembree says the case will be presented to a grand jury. Then, he will take a closer look at the charges and maybe add to or amend them as he sees fit.
Rexroad has been with Horry County Police since 2001. Harris started with Horry County in 2004.
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2 Horry County police officers arrested
Tuesday, the Horry County Police Department arrested two Horry County Police officers, Lcpl. David Rexroad and Cpl. Wesley Harris, for obtaining goods under false pretenses.
The officers were suspended December 7th as the police department investigated information about the officers receiving funds for working special assignment in the Prestwick community and not actually reporting to duty.
Horry County said in a news release Tuesday that the two officers turned themselves in at 7 a.m. and were charged with Breach/Obtaining Property Under False Pretenses, value more than $1,000, but less than $5,000.
The county had said previously that the amount each officer is alleged to have taken is about $4,000.
A bond hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m. this morning. Lcpl. David Rexroad and Cpl. Wesley Harris have also been terminated from the Horry County Police Department.
Lcpl. David Rexroad began his employment with the Horry County Police Department on July 17, 2001, and Cpl. Wesley Harris has been with the Horry County Police Department since December 13, 2004.
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