Chesterfield County Sheriff Parker Indicted by State Grand Jury; Charged with Misconduct in Office and Furnishing Contraband to Inmates

(COLUMBIA, S.C.)   South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the State Grand Jury today returned indictments against Chesterfield County Sheriff Sanford “Sam” Parker, Jr.  He was charged with four (4) counts of Misconduct in Office and two (2) counts of Furnishing Contraband to Inmates.

The misconduct offense is a common law misdemeanor, punishable by up to ten (10) years in prison.  The contraband offense is a statuary felony punishable up to ten years in prison and/or a fine at the discretion of the court.

The indictment alleges Parker allowed convicted Department of Corrections inmates to live outside jail, go shopping, dine in public restaurants and wear civilian clothing in exchange for performing work on the Sheriff’s house and personal property, as well as assisting with special events and performing work within the Sheriff’s Department.

The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.

Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.