Sheriff Candidate’s Degree Creates Bigger Divide Among Berkeley Co. Republicans

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C.—With a little more than two weeks until the June 9^th General Election for Berkeley County sheriff, the race continues to intensify.

Allegations that Republican candidate Duane Lewis purchased his bachelor’s degree in fire science from Western States University has created a firestorm throughout social media.

“I will not vote for someone who knowingly places fraudulent degrees on an affidavit and campaign materials trying to influence an election,” stated Jeanie Sanchez via Facebook.

“What’s even more troubling is the appearance that our local Berkeley County Republican Party is doing absolutely nothing to address this situation,” posted Jody Hall of Goose Creek.

Lewis’ alma mater shut down after the Missouri attorney general took action against it. According to an article by the Chicago Tribune, a person could walk away with a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate’s degree for a fee ranging anywhere from $2,600 to $4,300 without having ever attended a single class.

According to the college catalog, credit was awarded for tutoring, volunteer work, planning a budget and being a volunteer fireman.

In an interview with The Post and Courier, Berkeley Co. Chief Deputy Rick Ollic continues to stand by Lewis.

“I proudly endorsed Duane as the Republican nominee for sheriff, and I will continue to support him to ensure that a Republican is elected,” stated Ollic who was one of 12 sheriff candidates who endorsed Lewis shortly after the primary.

Charleston County Sheriff’s Lt. Danny Isgett, another former sheriff candidate, stated that he believed some voters were making an issue out of nothing.

“I just feel that if he would have known anything about this, he wouldn’t have put it out there. I don’t think his intent was to commit fraud,” Isgett told P&C reporter Brenda Rindge.

Leaders within the Berkeley Co. republican party have been quick to defend Lewis, too—including former party chairman Terry Hardesty.

“I believe Duane Lewis will be forthright about his degree,” stated Hardesty via social media. “I am really disheartened that so many folks who call themselves republicans don’t respect the will of the voters in our primaries and in our EC meetings. The party has elected Duane and he is fully qualified to hold the office.”

In an interview with ABC News 4, current party chairman Tim Callanan also reminded voters that a college degree is not a requirement to hold office as sheriff in the state of South Carolina.

“You have to have a high school diploma, and I believe five years law enforcement experience. He’s got 30 years law enforcement experience,” stated Callanan.

For some voters the response from Callanan and Hardesty hasn’t been good enough, arguing they are missing “the bigger picture.” During the time leading up to the runoff against Brian Adams, Lewis campaigned as the only candidate with a college degree.

“At the same time Lewis touted his having a degree in fire science, now we learn that his degree was simply a bought and paid for piece of paper!!! Looks like the citizens of Berkeley County may have been duped!!!” stated Donald Bailey via social media.

Bailey is currently one of more than 3,000 voters who make up a new Facebook page called ‘Concerned Voters of Berkeley County.’ These members say they are on a mission to get Brian Adams elected sheriff as a write-in candidate. This Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. members will meet at 106 Liberty Hall Road in Goose Creek to discuss their campaign strategy.

“We are getting together for some ‘Dogs, Drinks and Discussion’ on how to turn this momentum into a Landslide! Yard signs, Fliers, Ideas will all be available,” reads the event page.

While the page has grown significantly in just a short amount of time, some voters argue the numbers are misleading, stating that some of the people never actually put their names on the page’s list.

“I have received countless calls from people asking me how to get their names off the list,” one woman stated.

Because Adams ran as a Republican, he cannot actively campaign as sheriff. He signed an affidavit that prevents it. However, his supporters say they plan to campaign for him.

After losing the May 5^th runoff to Lewis, Adams personally congratulated him on his victory and vowed to support him in the general election. More than two weeks later, Adams is now singing a different tune.

“I changed my support not because he does not meet the qualifications for that position. I changed from supporting Mr. Lewis due to his integrity,” stated Adams. “The school has never been accredited. I feel that this damages his personal integrity as he portrays himself as a qualified college graduate knowing that this degree was false. I gave him time to address the accusations and verify his education with a transcript. He failed to do so after repeated requests including news media inquiries.”

Lewis was quick to fire back at Adams stating that he had only two weeks ago learned of the “unscrupulous dealings of Western States University.”

“The fact is that a college degree is not a qualification for this office and Mr. Adams knows it. This is nothing more than a political stunt by a twice-defeated and disgruntled candidate who reportedly attempted to illegally bribe former opponents for their support,” Lewis said.

Just as Lewis, Adams has had his fair share of controversy during his campaign for sheriff. Days before the primary, Bonneau Police Chief Franco Fuda, who also ran for sheriff, attempted to disqualify Adams from the election by filing a petition. He argued that because the North Charleston officer failed to include his graduation date on the sworn affidavit, he shouldn’t be allowed to run. The Berkeley Co. Republican party eventually voted to let Adams remain a qualified candidate.

Shortly before the May 5^th runoff, former sheriff candidate Jerry Merrithew reportedly also accused Adams of offering him a job if he dropped out of the primary. Adams has denied the allegation from the very beginning.

Meanwhile—it’s not just Lewis’ degree that also has some voters raising eyebrows. Some critics, including Adams, claim Lewis is being less than truthful about the amount of time he’s spent in law enforcement.

“His entry on his sheriff filing affidavit misrepresents his actual documented service time. He claims that he has 30 years of certified time,” stated Adams. “This is inaccurate and untrue based on documentation from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. He has 28 years of actual certified law enforcement service starting at the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office.”

The general election for Berkeley County sheriff is June 9^th.  As for Lewis—he’s not letting the validity of his college degree slow him down on the campaign trail.

“The irrelevancy of Mr. Adams’ views was confirmed when voters nominated me over him 3 weeks ago because of my 30 years of public safety service in our community and my proven leadership skills to get the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office back on the right track,” stated Lewis.

Lewis will face Democratic challenger Anthony Smalls, a sergeant at the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office. With the exception of a few campaign signs, Smalls has not been very active on the campaign trail. He has no campaign website or Facebook page. He has yet to take part in any media interviews either.

While some voters are campaigning for Adams as a write-in, traditionally write-ins have not had much success at the polls. Longtime U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond was one of the few exceptions to the rule.

Two other people have also announced plans to run as a write-in candidate—former state trooper Derrick Burbage and former Hanahan Police Chief Melvin “MC” Bellew.