BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.—By executive order, Governor Nikki Haley has named former Berkeley County Chief Deputy Sheriff C. W. “Butch” Henerey as the new Sheriff of Berkeley County.
Henerey will serve as Sheriff until a June special election is held.
Today, he expressed his gratitude for the Governor’s appointment and eagerness to get started:
“I am honored that Governor Haley has appointed me to serve the citizens of Berkeley County as Sheriff. Having served 35 years in law enforcement with the last 20 years in the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, I am humbled to serve as Sheriff and view this as a true honor and privilege,” he said.
Rick Ollic, who currently serves as the department’s chief deputy, had been serving as the county’s interim sheriff. He will now return to his original role.
Longtime sheriff Wayne DeWitt resigned from the job back on February 4th. A few days later he was indicted on charges of drunk driving, failure to stop for blue lights and leaving the scene of a crash. He was arrested and booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center.
“I hate the circumstances that have brought us to this point. My family and I will keep former Sheriff DeWitt and his family in our prayers,” the interim sheriff stated. “My pledge to the people of Berkeley County is that the Sheriff’s Office will continue to operate under national accreditation policies and standards. We will continue to protect and serve our citizens. In the coming months, we will work with the Supervisor’s Office and County Council to have a budget that provides the proper resources needed to do our job efficiently and effectively. And, we will ensure our agency is prepared for a smooth transition to a newly elected sheriff.”
Berkeley County Supervisor Bill Peagler expressed his gratitude for the Governor’s appointment of Henerey .
“I thank Governor Haley for her appointment of Sheriff Henerey. I have known Sheriff Henerey for a long time. Sheriff Henerey is truly a man of integrity who I know will provide tremendous service to the people of Berkeley County. Due to the uncertainty of the past couple months, Sheriff Henerey’s knowledge of the department and personnel will give the Sheriff’s Office stability until the special election is complete.”
Since Haley appointed Henery as sheriff he won’t be allowed to run in the special election scheduled for June 9th. The primary will take place on April 21st.
Candidates interested in running for Berkeley Co. sheriff can begin the filing process on Friday and through March 2nd.
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