Published Tuesday, May 06, 2008 4:03 PM
Updated Tuesday, May 06, 2008 4:04 PM

 

Sheriff candidates weigh in on senator’s DUI arrest

In the wake of State Sen. Randy Scott’s April 19 driving under the influence arrest and widespread reports that he threatened to have a sheriff’s deputy fired, both candidates for Dorchester County Sheriff say the law must be enforced equally no matter who is arrested and any personnel decisions should be made by the sheriff, and the sheriff alone.

Videos of Scott in custody show him making at least two references to Republican candidate for sheriff L.C. Knight, including an exchange with Sgt. Randy Botten.

“I tell you who’s going to be the next sheriff — L.C. Knight,” Scott says to Botten in one video.

“That’s fine,” Botten responds. “I’ll do the same job for him.”

“You won’t do it here,” Scott says. “You won’t do it in Dorchester County.”

In a video of Scott being transported to jail, he can be heard saying: “I guarantee you, if L.C. Knight gets elected, he’ll (presumably Botten) be out of a f------ job.”

Knight said last week that Scott has been a longtime family friend, but he has no control over what Scott says.

Knight said he wishes Scott wouldn’t have made the comments but he believes they were made in the heat of the moment and later taken out of context.

“If I’m elected, I will be the person running the sheriff’s office and people who work for me will enforce the laws equally on everybody,” Knight said.

The courts will decide whether Scott’s arrest was right or wrong, said Knight.

“An officer who works for me and gets fired would be one who doesn’t do his job,” Knight said.

In a statement released several days after Scott was arrested, Knight’s Republican opponent, Terry Boatwright, said that if he is elected sheriff, he “will not allow any public officials to exercise influence regarding the hiring or firing of any personnel.”

Boatwright said he has always judged employees based on their performance rather than political considerations.

“When any officer under my authority has made an arrest, based upon probable cause, I have always supported them,” Boatwright said. “No deputy should be threatened because they refused to show favor or make exceptions for public officials who they believe have broken the law.”

Contact David Berman at 873-9424 ext. 214 or dberman@journalscene.com