A South Carolina officer was arrested on Oct. 7 after allegedly having sex on the job.
According to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the incident involving 27-year-old officer Stephen Austin Chavis happened on August 28.
That day, per an affidavit, Chavis conducted a welfare check on a resident in their Charleston home.
During the welfare check, the officer allegedly received oral sex from the unidentified resident.
Chavis Is Investigated and Arrested
“The defendant did commit the crime of Misconduct in Office, in that he did willfully and unlawfully commit misconduct in his public office, by acts and omissions of malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance in breach of his duties to the public,” the affidavit reads.
Officials first heard of the incident on Sept. 8, and the 27-year-old was placed on unpaid leave while the allegations were investigated.
A little over two weeks later, on Sept. 23, Chavis was officially fired. As stated, the ex-officer was finally arrested Oct. 7 and charged with misconduct.
In South Carolina, a cop convicted of misconduct could face up to one year behind bars and be ordered to pay up to $1,000 in fines, per South Carolina Code Section 8-1-80.
Prosecutors with the 9th Circuit Solicitor’s Office will pursue Chavis’ case.
SLED will provide any future updates as they come.
Other Similar Cases
In South Carolina, similar and more severe cases involving officers have occurred in recent months.
In August, former Greenville officer Waylon William Rogers sought bond after he was arrested and charged with sexual conduct toward a minor.
The ex-officer was allegedly part of a child sex ring — a ring that former officers Matthew Joseph Fay and Allen Randolph Fitz were also part of.
Rogers allegedly spoke to a minor to try to convince them to have sex, and partnered with Fay and other defendants to commit criminal sexual misconduct.
Fay was charged with five counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
The former officer allegedly sexually assaulted a family member and drove a child to different places so “multiple male suspects” could sexually assault them.
Officers Who Commit Sexual Misconduct
Hundreds of such cases happen each year.
A Washington Post investigation uncovered that from 2005 to 2022, around 1,800 cops or law enforcement staff were charged with possessing child sexual abuse material, rape, forcible fondling, and similar charges.
Almost 75% of the victims were teenagers, most of whom were girls.
The officers found their victims through many avenues, including patrol, school events, fundraisers, dine-ins, or neighborhoods.