CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Horry County Police Chief Saundra Rhodes announced she is retiring from the department Monday morning.
In a press release, Rhodes said she will leave her position on May 6, 2016.
Horry County Administrator, Chris Eldridge, has appointed Deputy Chief Kelvin Waites as Interim Chief.
Rhodes was named Chief of Police for Horry County in September 2012 after working up the chain-of-command as sergeant, lieutenant and captain. Rhodes previously served as an undercover detective after first joining the Horry County Police Department in 1993. She made history as the first female, as well as the first African American to lead Horry County Police. She attended the University of South Carolina and also holds a master’s degree.
“I want to thank Chief Rhodes for her dedication to the Horry County Police Department and to the citizens of Horry County,” stated Chris Eldridge. “I wish her the best during the next chapter of her life.”
Below is the release issued earlier Monday:
Today with nothing but great resolution and a strong sense of pride I announce my retirement as the Horry County Chief of Police effective May 6th 2016.
I have had an outstanding opportunity to help many great officers grow in their desire to be professionals in law enforcement, transition the Horry County Police from a once traditional organization to a leaner more responsive department focused on community service. The department has never in the history of Horry County had such dedicated men and women serving our community.
In a world that constantly is changing and while some attitudes towards Law Enforcement Officers reach an all time low, the Horry County Police Department has continued to be professional in all of its efforts. For that, I will be eternally proud and grateful. I can honestly say that my prayers have been answered each and every day that no Horry County Police Officer has been killed in the line of duty during my tenure as Police Chief.
No police department can succeed by itself, along with the hard work of my staff, the support that I have received from local government, the business community, local churches and the citizens of this great County has been unwavering and for that I will always be grateful.
I am looking forward to future challenges that will measure up to that as I have faced thus far in my career.
I am leaving with the confidence that the Department will continue to be led by dedicated and motivated leaders and I know that the Department can only benefit from the fresh perspectives and new ideas that these individuals will bring.
During the remainder of my tenure with the Horry County Police I will be focusing on the transition to an Interim Chief.
Saundra Rhodes
While the exact reason for Rhodes’ retirement has not been released, it is confirmed that the police department has taken a second look at more than a hundred cases and reopened several of those files.
The Horry County Police Department confirms each reopened case is tied to former Detective Allen Large. Police started to review the cases after Large was fired for allegations of sexual harassment. Since then, detectives have reopened and reassigned seven cases.
One of those cases involves a teenage girl who said she was raped while intoxicated at a party. She didn’t report the alleged rape until a year later. Detective Large closed the case, calling it “unfounded,” noting the girl was not forced to have sex and knew what was going on. After Large was fired from the department, police reopened the case and made an arrest.
Two Horry County Police officers, including Detective Large, have been terminated from the department and a third suspended over the past year.
One of the employees fired from the department was Lucas Green.
In a letter dated March 28, Chief Rhodes said she was firing Green after an internal investigation revealed he made some mistakes during an arrest on June 12, 2014. Investigators say Green allowed an apprehended suspect to leave the scene of a crime without being charged. The suspect alleges he lost a tooth in the arrest, but the injury wasn’t documented.
Another employee of the police department, Tim Troxell, was suspended for five days from the job in late March and early April in connection with an incident also dated June 12, 2014, although the details of the incident were not noted.
In the last four months, two alleged rape victims have filed lawsuits against the Horry County Police Department. Each lawsuit claims police didn’t properly investigate rape cases. In one of the lawsuits, a woman claims after she filed a police report stating she was raped, the Horry County detective assigned to her case sexually assaulted her.
In response to the allegations, Horry County released a statement in January:
“The county is in receipt of a copy of the complaint, which will be reviewed and processed by the legal department and responded to within the time set forth by our court rules. It is county policy not to provide any commentary on substantive matters relating to pending litigation.”
Court documents filed more than a month later on Horry County’s behalf say there is not enough information available to know whether the alleged victim’s claims are true. Therefore, the county is currently denying any wrongdoing took place by the accused detective.
Solicitor Jimmy Richardson has known Chief Rhodes since he joined the office nearly 20 years ago. He says he hasn’t talked to the chief about her retirement and was shocked when he learned of her upcoming departure.
Richardson says the job of police has grown more difficult since Rhodes accepted the position, and allegations of police misconduct by officers on the Horry County Police force have made that job even harder.
“I think that those sort of things would have an affect on your decision,” expresses Richardson. “Your employees could make it harder on you if they got into some trouble.”
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division spokesperson Thom Berry says the investigation of individuals at the Horry County Police Department is open and ongoing, but could not give details as to who is being investigated or how many current and former employees are involved in the investigation.
News 13 is working to learn more about the circumstances surrounding Rhodes’ retirement. We have requested Rhodes’ personnel file, any compensation agreement or separation contract, her letter of retirement or resignation, and whether or not she will be eligible for rehire in the department in any form.