Former sheriff and deputy indicted on use-of-force charge

FLORENCE — A federal grand jury in Florence has returned single-count indictments against Charles Bernard Lemon, 59, and David Andrew Cook, 29, both of Bennettsville, for using excessive force in violation of federal law.

The indictments allege that on May 3, 2020, Lemon, then the sheriff of Marlboro County, and Cook, a deputy sheriff, used unreasonable force against a pretrial detainee at the Marlboro County Detention Center, a news release from the U.S. Attorney‘s Office for the District of South Carolina says.  The indictment alleges that Lemon directed Cook to deploy a Taser against the detainee without legal justification, resulting in the detainee being injured.

Lemon and Cook face a maximum possible penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted. They are expected to make an initial appearance in early February at the McMillian Federal Courthouse at Florence.

The case was jointly investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the release says.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Everett McMillian and Lauren Hummel are prosecuting the case in coordination with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.