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Berkeley County Corruption, Murder Cases Highlighted In Sheriff’s Book

Sheriff Duane Lewis co-authors and releases new book, "Lawmen and Lawlessness: Historic Cases of Corruption and Murder."
Sheriff Duane Lewis co-authors and releases new book, “Lawmen and Lawlessness: Historic Cases of Corruption and Murder.”

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – When he’s not enforcing the law, Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis is promoting his latest book he co-authored with Daniel J. Crooks, a South Carolina constable.

The pair released “Lawmen and Lawlessness: Historic Cases of Corruption and Murder” on Amazon and Barnes & Noble earlier this month.

According to its description, the book gives a dramatic, narrative account of the sheriffs of Berkeley County from 1882 to 1970. The first-person accounts of manhunts, shoot-outs, ruckus trials, and ghastly public executions put the reader in the middle of the action. 

“I just hope people enjoy it and take it for what it’s worth. It’s not meant to embarrass anybody or harm anybody’s name, but it is the truth,” Lewis recently told WCBD-TV.


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Lewis was one of three authors to take part in a book signing during a meet-the-author event at the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame last week. He was joined by authors Jason Ryan, a Charleston-based journalist, and Rita Shuler, a retired SLED agent.

This is not the first time that Lewis has ventured into the world of book writing. In 2014, he released “A Shot in the Dark,” a true life story about his grandfather, Solon B. Lewis, who led an interesting career in law enforcement from the 1920s-1940s in Marion County, South Carolina.

“As a child, I would hear many fascinating stories from my father and his brothers about Solon’s shootouts with criminals and all of the tragedies he faced in his life,” Lewis previously said in a news release about the book. “My research provides official documents, letters, and actual newspaper articles that support this true story. This is the life of a man faced with corruption, political fighting, and crime of that era.”

In 2020, Lewis’ grandfather was inducted into the SC Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame.

Lewis has served as Berkeley County’s sheriff since 2015. He was reelected to a third term in 2022.

Nikki Gaskins Campbell
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