Darlington sheriff fires 2 deputies for campaigning for him

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Darlington County Sheriff Wayne Byrd says he fired two deputies for conducting campaign business for him while in uniform and using a county vehicle.

Byrd said the deputies went to a store during their lunch break and bought items for one of his events. One officer was in uniform and they were in a county vehicle.

Byrd says he has told his deputies they can’t do any campaign business while on duty or using government-owned equipment. The sheriff fired six deputies for campaigning for his opponent in 2012 and says he has to be fair.

Byrd’s opponent Tony Chavis says it is unfortunate for everyone involved.

Byrd says he wants taxpayers to know he is sorry and he will do his best to keep something like this from happening again.