Former Pee Dee Police Officer Arrested For Assault Amidst Previous Allegations of Misconduct
A former police officer from Pee Dee, 47-year-old Stephen Sutton, has been arrested and charged with second-degree assault and battery. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office reported that the former officer allegedly tried to attack someone with a knife.
Sutton was released after posting a $2,500 bond for his alleged offense, according to the Marion County Detention Center report. Most recently, he worked for the Lake View Police Department and was a part of the team from November 15, 2023, until he was dismissed on March 22.
Previous Charges and Incidents
Throughout his career in law enforcement spanning since 2012, Sutton has worked in a number of agencies across Pee Dee. His employment history includes being a part of Bennettsville Police Department, Darlington County Prison Farm, Marion Police Department, Marion County Detention Center and W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center in Darlington.
However, Sutton’s career has been marred with multiple incidents. In March, officials from the Lake View Police Department informed that he used excessive force while searching a suspect. This incident also involved Sutton reportedly failing to inform another member of his department when they arrived at the scene. Further, it was discovered that Sutton failed to complete a use-of-force report or mention his actions in his account of the incident and did not secure any surveillance footage from the store where the incident occurred.
Previous records show Sutton was also dismissed from the W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center twice. The first dismissal occurred in 2012 for a violation not involving misconduct while the second transpired in 2017 due to Sutton refusing to search an inmate.
Other Allegations
In 2019, Sutton, while serving at the Marion Police Department, stepped down following accusations of domestic violence. Two years later in 2021, the Bennettsville Police Department investigated Sutton over allegations that he crashed his patrol car while potentially not being in pursuit of a suspect.
The investigation centered around whether Sutton had initiated a traffic stop and was chasing a suspect before he crashed his vehicle. After a review of the video from the car and radio traffic, significant doubts were raised about Sutton’s true actions during the incident.
Sutton left the Bennettsville department in December 2022. The current assault charge presents an additional setback in his troubled law enforcement career. Whilst more information on the case continues to emerge, the incident serves as another unfortunate reminder of the need for strict accountability and ethical conduct within the police force.
