Senatory Ray Cleary must now decide on another nominee to fill the Murrells Inlet magistrate's position.
SURFSIDE BEACH -- State Senator Ray Cleary says he is taking resumes and once again considering who to nominate for a Murrells Inlet magistrate position.
Former Horry County police officer Dave Jolliff was Senator Cleary's choice for the job, but Jolliff withdrew his name from consideration on Friday.
Cleary says he told Governor Nikki Haley to hold off taking action on Jolliff early last week to give he and Jolliff time to consider whether to move forward.
Cleary's choice of Jolliff was the focus of intense criticism.
Several Georgetown County residents, including Sheriff Lane Cribb and former county councilman Tom Swatzel, said Jolliff was not a suitable choice because he had been suspended from the Horry County Police Department twice.
When asked if he should have heeded the will of the people speaking out against Jolliff, Cleary said, "Probably 90% of the people that contacted me said, Senator, this is your pick, pick who is best. I believe if they had said 'we don't want Jolliff' we want somebody different, I would have thought that might be better. Instead they were saying, we want our candidate."
Cleary hired a private investigator to look into Jolliff's background and says the report vindicated him.
Cleary also spoke Monday about allegations he and his wife removed and sold property from a restaurant they were partners in despite a bank lien against the property.
Fontinellos in Murrells Inlet closed in February.
Cleary says he had the right to remove the property. He says he has signed documents that show the property belongs to him.
Gary Roberts reported the property's removal to the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the complaint.
Cleary says, "We have determined that if you file a false police report asking, and filing and accusing someone of a felony conviction, that you yourself are guilty of a felony conviction. That is something we will take to the courts."
You can watch Tim McGinnis's entire interview with Senator Cleary in the video player on this page.
