Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of sexual harassment that may disturb some readers.
HARTSVILLE, S.C. (WBTW) — A current Darlington County Sheriff’s Office captain at the center of a News13 investigative series had inappropriate contact with multiple female Hartsville police officers, according to newly obtained internal investigation documents.
The documents are from the City of Hartsville and they were not provided previously to the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office.
The documents, provided in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by News13, also reveal that a second current captain with the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office was set to be fired from the Hartsville Police for posting nude photos of a woman online without her consent. However, he quit first.
‘CREEPY’ MARK CAMPBELL
In January, News13 reported that Darlington County Sheriff’s Office Captain Mark Campbell, the current Special Operations Commander for the department, was set to be fired from the Hartsville Police Department in 2020 as a result of an Internal Affairs investigation related to Campbell’s interactions with a female Walmart employee. After Campbell asked for and obtained the woman’s cell phone number, Campbell reportedly requested that the woman allow him to perform sex acts on her and also asked her for sexually explicit photos.
Since our January report, following a community tip, News13 filed another FOIA request with the City of Hartsville.
Before the Walmart employee’s complaint was received by the Hartsville Police Department, multiple female Hartsville officers had also told then-Chief Jerry Thompson about inappropriate contact they received from Campbell, according to documents from another Internal Affairs investigation. Police also were notified of other notable incidents involving female citizens and Campbell.
Thirty-five pages of documents reveal notes from 16 interviews with female Hartsville officers, male officers and several residents in Oct. 2020. The interviews were conducted by then-Lt. Jason Privette, who recently became Hartsville’s Acting Police Chief.
In one situation, a female officer said Campbell came up behind her, “bear hugged” her and kissed her on the cheek while holding her in the hug from behind. The officer said she was in shock that he had done this. While still holding her in the bear hug from behind, Campbell “pushed his groin into her buttocks”, according to the officer. During a separate interview with a male officer, he said he had witnessed the incident. The male officer said Campbell grabbed her from behind and wrapped his arms around her chest area. He said Campbell then leaned back with the female officer in the bear hug and then “thrust his hips forward against her buttocks” and “grunted as if he was straining to pick [the officer] up.”
Another female officer, who said Campbell kissed her on the head three separate times while they were on duty and once invited her over to his house to lay out by his pool, told Privette about a situation that happened inside a patrol vehicle.
“Campbell leaned over into the Explorer on top of her. She described it as him placing his body on top of hers. Campbell told her, ‘Don’t tell [redacted] because this might **** him off. I don’t want him to come kick my butt or fight me’.”
That female officer told Privette that Campbell “made her feel extremely uncomfortable and when it happened she was scared of what he was about to do next.” She also noted that Campbell told her she smelled nice several times.
Another female officer reported that Campbell came up behind her and “smelled the top of her head”.
Numerous female officers reported Campbell had hugged them and also kissed them on the cheek and forehead on multiple occasions, while Campbell was on duty. He was also accused of grabbing and massaging the shoulders of multiple female officers.
In these interviews, Campbell was described by fellow officers as “creepy”, “old man creepy” and an “old pervert”. One female officer said his behavior was “well outside the realm of okay.”
Multiple female officers said Campbell would call them “baby girl”, “baby doll” and “sweetheart”.
One female officer said during an interview that at large events or operations, Campbell would shake the hands of guys, but then would kiss and/or hug the females.
Notes from one interview said, “when Campbell is with his girlfriend, that he does not do anything but wave or speak briefly.”
Several officers also noted Campbell would sometimes become angry. One said Campbell “went off on her” when Campbell believed she had made a complaint about his behavior towards her. Another said she did not want to be rude to Campbell because he was a Sergeant and that she didn’t want to make him mad.
A female resident, whose age is not known, told police that Campbell had a “wild temper” as she was describing an encounter she had with Campbell outside of a store in Hartsville. During the incident, the female separated from her friends to drive to a gas station. She said Campbell followed her there in his car, parked and then watched her from his car for at least 20 minutes.
The female said she told the cashier about Campbell following and watching her, and then left the store and drove home, as Campbell followed her again in his vehicle. The female’s mother said she was on the phone with her daughter while Campbell was following her daughter, and he eventually drove off. The female said she later stopped meeting up with her friends in a nearby parking lot because she felt like she was being stalked by Campbell.
Notes from an interview with another female resident describe Campbell pulling her over during a traffic stop:
“He looked at her license and said, ‘Oh, I know you. Here’s your stuff back.’ After giving her license back he reached to his body camera and turned it off. After turning his body camera off he reached down and placed his hand on her arm and asked how [redacted] was doing…She did remember that he asked where she worked and if she was going to enjoy [redacted] weekend. He closed the traffic stop by saying, ‘I guess I’ll let you go. If you ever need me, let me know.’ [Redacted] said it was strange because he held his hand on her the entire time of the stop after turning his camera off.”
At the end of the internal investigation, the department requested Campbell be fired on the grounds of substantiated policy violations, but he quit first.
Darlington County Sheriff James Hudson told News13 this past January that he was not made aware of any issues surrounding Campbell when he hired Campbell in early Jan. 2021.
“Upon taking office, I went to Hartsville to inquire about any alarms about Campbell and I was told ‘no’ by the city police chief [Thompson] and city manager [Daniel Moore],” Hudson said. “If I had known about this before, I wouldn’t have hired him. Since he has been with us, he’s done exceptionally great work and has had no complaints.”
On Thursday night, News13 spoke to Sheriff Hudson over the phone to notify him of this newly released information. Sheriff Hudson, who was not told previously by Hartsville Police of this latest information, said he was disappointed in how things were handled and said he would do his best to move forward with his department. He would not provide additional comment at that time.
As of late Friday morning, Campbell remains employed with the sheriff’s office.
On Thursday night, News13 also spoke on the phone to now-former Hartsville Police Chief Thompson regarding the newly released information. Thompson, whose sudden retirement in February went into effect immediately, said repeatedly that he had no comment about the Mark Campbell situation.
News13 spoke to Campbell over the phone on Friday afternoon. Campbell claims he was never made aware of any of the complaints from female police officers or the other situations mentioned above, with the exception of the Walmart employee incident — which he would not comment on. Campbell denied all of the allegations from officers made in the interviews.
When asked several times if he ever hugged or kissed any female Hartsville officers while on duty, he told News13, “I’m sure I’ve hugged or kissed an officer — male or female — in an appropriate situation but never in a situation where I’ve pushed myself on someone or in a way that was unwanted. That’s not me and that’s not what I do.”
Campbell said during his time with Hartsville, he did not harass or do anything that would be inappropriate. He said anyone who would make these claims is “absolutely incorrect.”
When asked why he ended up resigning from the Hartsville Police shortly before he was set to be fired, Campbell said that it was a time in his life in which he was getting married, got a house and was going to be working at the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office.
When asked why he more recently accepted and then backed out of the Darlington Police Chief position, he said that “was not a position that would work for me” after considering it further with his family.
News13 spoke to now-Capt. Privette on Friday afternoon to ask if the information about the female officers’ claims was ever provided to Campbell. He had no comment about the situation, but referred us to a statement provided by the City of Hartsville, which said Campbell quit before they could notify him of the findings of this particular Internal Affairs investigation.
‘NOTES FROM AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION ARE JUST NOTES…’
In December, the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office sent a FOIA request to the City of Hartsville asking for “any and all documents pertaining to disciplinary actions or write-ups related to sexual harassment for former Hartsville Police Department employee Mark Campbell.”
The sheriff’s office received some documents from Hartsville about Campbell in January, but not all — including those about the female Hartsville officers’ concerns.
The reason, we’re told, is because of the way Hartsville defines the term, “write-up” and the circumstances of this case.
In a response to News13’s follow-up questions on Thursday, Hartsville City Manager Daniel Moore explained:
“Our definition of a ‘write-up’ is a personnel action form that results in oral or written feedback with disciplinary action up to termination. Notes from an internal investigation are just notes and need to be formalized into a write-up for me to take action. The only write-up I received was for the incident regarding Walmart.“
Moore went on to explain more about the Internal Affairs investigative process:
“All internal affairs investigations are begun by the Police Chief, at which time he would have made me aware of their initiation….Neither the City Manager nor Human Resources would be privy to any contents until the investigation is complete and a recommendation is made. Based on the findings of the Walmart investigation, in which Campbell was interviewed, he resigned prior to being terminated. The internal affairs investigation concerning our officers and members of the public could not be finalized as he was no longer an employee.
“The timing required for each investigation varies on the case and how long it takes for a recommendation to be made. Once a recommendation is made, it is our practice to take swift action.“
ANOTHER CAPTAIN’S INTERNAL INVESTIGATION
Newly obtained documents also reveal that another member of the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office command staff was also set to be fired while with the Hartsville Police following an Internal Affairs investigation, but quit first.
Capt. Curtis Bryant, the current Patrol Commander in his third stint with the department, was most recently brought back on the same day as Capt. Campbell — Jan. 5, 2021.
Following News13’s last report on Campbell, we received a community tip about Capt. Bryant and filed a FOIA request.
According to newly obtained documents, a woman who had dated Bryant from 2012-2015 reported to Hartsville Police in August 2019 that she had recently learned Bryant posted nude pictures of her on a website called MeWe without her consent or knowledge.
An Internal Affairs investigation was opened by then-Lt. Privette and Lt. Mark Blair in early August 2019.
On Aug. 9, 2019, the woman told the investigators that she had ended the relationship with Bryant in Sept. 2015 and since then, he had broken into her house and harassed her. She said she had filed reports and complaints with law enforcement about him. The woman also provided investigators with copies of the photos that were posted online.
Bryant was notified of the complaint on Aug. 13, 2019, according to internal documents, and interviewed by Privette and Blair. According to their interview notes, Bryant admitted to posting nude photos from his MeWe account.
When asked if he had her express permission to post them, Privette noted that Bryant said, “If I had any of her it was in a drunken stupor and I don’t remember any of it.” Investigators then told Bryant that the woman no longer wanted to be contacted by him in any form.
Just hours after that interview though, Bryant had emailed and attempted to contact the woman several times, according to an internal e-mail sent from Privette to Thompson and Blair.
In the same e-mail, Privette wrote, “He also had what I assume is evidence in the back cargo area in the form of a drug pipe and a Notary stamp. He had several assignments in his box in the squad room that had never been finished, and one was a Use of Force report he was assigned to work in 2017.”
A Disciplinary Action Form listed previous corrective actions during Bryant’s time with the Hartsville Police Department:
- 04/25/2017: PFB discussed job performance and the need for him to increase proactive efforts and answer more calls
- 06/2017: During 6 month review it was pointed out again that he needed to increase proactive efforts, and that compared to other patrol Sergeants, he came in last on almost all activity categories
- 02/16/2018 to 05/18/2018: Sgt. Bryant was placed on probation for HR-07 (p) Unsatisfactory Performance. Job performance was not meeting the standards held at HPD concerning areas of proactive efforts and calls for service
- 06/17/2019 to 08/13/2019: Sgt. Bryant was placed on probation for HR-07 (p) Unsatisfactory Performance; HR-07 (h) interference with the work of others: case management audit
An Internal Affairs Disposition Notification form dated Aug. 13, 2019 and signed by Privette said that the investigation included substantiated code of conduct, ethics and social media department policy violations. The document also listed “dismissal” as the disciplinary action.
Another document stated that “immediate termination” was requested. This document was signed by four people: Privette, Thompson, the HR Director and City Manager Natalie Zeigler.
Bryant then requested a disciplinary conference with Zeigler. At these conferences, the employee may present any response to the proposed disciplinary action, the city manager considers the employee’s response and “to the extent practicable, within three (3) working days, notify the employee in writing of the final decision.”
However, on Aug. 16, 2019, Bryant sent in his handwritten, three-sentence resignation letter.
The following is from a letter dated Aug. 19, 2019 from Zeigler:
Dear Curtis:
After further review of the disciplinary action, the additional information you brought to my attention on Friday, 8/16/19, and your request to modify the terms of separation – I have decided to grant your request. Modification of the terms of separation are approved and will be changed to voluntary resignation. All corresponding courtesies associated with a voluntary resignation will be granted accordingly.
Sincerely,
Natalie Zeigler
City Manager
News13 spoke on the phone Thursday with Zeigler, who left the City of Hartsville in 2020. She couldn’t recall what the “additional information” was that played a part in her decision to grant Bryant’s request, but did remember having the meeting about Bryant’s case.
When News13 asked the City of Hartsville on Thursday about the “additional information” behind the decision, the city responded, “We have no further records.”
Bryant’s exit from Hartsville was merely labeled a “resignation” instead of a near-termination from an Internal Affairs investigation. News13 obtained Bryant’s Academy documents, which state that Bryant “resigned” and “accepted employment with another law enforcement agency.” The form is signed by Blair.
Bryant has worked in law enforcement in South Carolina for more than 20 years. He’s worked at the W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center, the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office (three times), the Society Hill Police Department, the Hartsville Police Department and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
As of late Friday morning, Bryant remains employed with the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office.
AGENCY-HOPPING FOR SC OFFICERS
In News13’s previous reporting, we spoke to the director of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy about how officers who are accused of wrongdoing or even set to be fired can quit first and therefore, not raise alarm bells to other agencies in the state.
The Academy says agencies are only required to report cases of misconduct to the Academy.
Poor conduct and department policy violations do not necessarily rise to the level of what the Academy defines as “misconduct”. So, even if an officer in South Carolina is found to have violated a department policy and is set to be fired as a result of an Internal Affairs investigation, that information does not need to be reported to the Academy.
To read what the Academy defines as “misconduct”, click this link.
News13’s investigation into these officers began when we looked into Campbell’s law enforcement background after he was initially named the police chief of Darlington. After our initial reporting, Campbell backed out of the position. Following a community tip, we sent a FOIA request to the City of Hartsville that resulted in information about Campbell’s near-firing from Hartsville Police in 2020 for the Walmart employee incident.
News13 continues to investigate topics discussed in this article. If you have any tips/information you’d like to provide, please e-mail our newsroom at: news@wbtw.com.
