COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – A grand jury has indicted Florence County Sheriff William Kenney Boone on charges of embezzlement and misconduct.
The governor has suspended Boone from office because of the indictment. An interim sheriff will be appointed to serve until the matter is resolved, but that person has not been named yet.
Boone was charged with one count of misconduct in office and two counts of embezzlement, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced Wednesday.
The embezzlement offense is a statutory felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine at the discretion of the court. The misconduct offense is a common law misdemeanor, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The indictment alleges that Boone used both county and federal funds allocated to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office for his own personal use.
This case is being investigated by the State Law Enforcement Division and will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.
Attorney General Wilson stressed every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.
