Spartanburg Co. Council reacts to Sheriff Chuck Wright resignation

Yahoo

23-05-2025

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – Spartanburg County Council Chairman Manning Lynch said he received a phone call from the South Carolina Attorney General's office Friday morning, alerting him that Sheriff Chuck Wright had resigned.
After returning from a seven week long leave of absence for 'unspecified medical reasons' just three days ago, Wright sent Governor McMaster a letter of resignation and turned in his badge.
Councilman Monier Abusaft explained the county has mixed feelings about his resignation.
'There's a lot of mixed feelings,' Abusaft said. 'There are people who have long felt that the sheriff's office wasn't appropriately ran and had their feelings about Chuck Wright, but there's a lot of people in this county who have strong feelings that are positive for the Sheriff.'
'I mean, until very, very recently he was clearly the most popular Republican elected official in our county,' Abusaft continued.
Wright has been the sheriff since he was elected in 2004. However, over the past few months, many of his actions have been called into question including the hiring of his son, Andrew Wright, and spending more than $53,000 on a public credit card. 7News was told that only $1,100 was paid back.
Spartanburg Co. Sheriff Chuck Wright resigns, cites 'recent health diagnosis'
'It has been hard. Obviously, the sheriff's department is a big part of running a county, and you know nobody would wish for what we just went through,' said Lynch, who was the first to be notified.
'Citizens feel like they've been cheated out of a sheriff for the last six to eight weeks, whatever it's been, and we have answered to the people, but it's been a lot of 'I can't say right now.' It'll just be nice that we've passed that stage and we kind of know what the path forward is going to be,' Lynch added.
Friday afternoon, Governor Henry McMaster appointed the current Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Jeffery Stephens to serve as the replacement until a special election is held later this year to replace his position.
'We're glad to be moving in that direction, in the direction of certainty, just a better place to be than where we've been,' said Lynch.
Abusaft said it has been frustrating, especially as the public safety chairman, not to be completely transparent with the public, but promises a bright future is ahead for Spartanburg County.
'I mean this is hour one, day one of the end of an era of law-enforcement in Spartanburg County,' Abusaft said. 'There's going to be a much more forceful relationship from our side with the sheriff's office. There will be a fine-toothed comb and a philosophy with the request for money and what their leadership is telling us until we can rebuild trust in them.'
Abusaft estimated that in the next two months, council will be able to talk freely.
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