CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Horry County leaders refuse to explain a payment to let the police chief retire early and some county council members told News13 they didn’t know about it.
Saundra Rhodes retired on May 6, 19 months before she was eligible for retirement.
Documents released on Monday show that Horry County paid out more than $61,145.37 to the South Carolina Retirement Systems to allow Rhodes to retire early with full benefits.
News13 reached out to multiple county leaders to find out who made the deal and why.
County Council chairman Mark Lazarus refused to comment. County administrator Chris Eldridge hasn’t returned our message. County spokesperson Lisa Bourcier refused to comment, calling the situation a “personnel matter.” The chairman of the public safety committee, which oversees the police department, also refused to comment.
News13 also tried to contact county council members. Some didn’t answer, but five councilmen said they didn’t know about the early retirement deal.
Rhodes was named Chief of Police in 2012 after working as Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain. Her seemingly abrupt retirement comes in the midst of two lawsuits being filed in the past five months against the Horry County Police Department. The lawsuits filed by two different women state that detectives responsible for investigating their rape cases did not investigate thoroughly enough.
In addition, more than 100 cases originally investigated by Detective Allen Large have been reviewed and several cases have been reopened following Large’s terminating from the department on allegations of sexual harassment.
The letter of intent to retire, authored by Rhodes and addressed to County Administrator Chris Eldridge, recognizes county officials for her training and different opportunities received while working with the police department.
“I want to thank you for the opportunities that I have experienced working for Horry County, but more than that I want to thank you personally for the motivation and the knowledge that you have shared with me.” – Saundra Rhodes
