DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) — Darlington County Sheriff Wayne Byrd is once again the target of a lawsuit by a former deputy, who four years ago filed a suit and claimed Byrd fired him because he treatened to expose the sheriff’s affair with a subordinate.
MIchael Hall, a 20-year law enforcement veteran and a former lieutenant under Byrd in Darlington County, claims Byrd recently made statements that Hall had misused department computers and Hall was “campaigning while on duty.”
The suit claims these are not true accusations, and that media outlets reported them without asking Hall or a representative for confirmation, and that these were claims made in 2012, which is when Hall sued Byrd the first time. As part of that civil proceeding, Byrd released documents saying he had an affair with a woman that worked for him, and Hall claimed his firing was an attempt to punish Hall for wanting to expose the relationship.
The most recent lawsuit was filed June 10 in the Fourth Circuit Court of Common Pleas. It seeks an unspecified amount of punitive and other damages for the court to determine Byrd owes Hall should the court rule in Hall’s favor.
