A South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services agent has been suspended pending an internal investigation into why she was at a Marion County residence where a drug raid took place on Feb. 17, officials said.
Director of public information for SC Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services Peter O’Boyle said agent Michelle Barnhill was in a home on South Main Street in Mullins when the Marion County Combined Drug Unit executed a search warrant.
Barnhill has been employed at the Marion County agency for 14 years, he said.
O’Boyle said Barnhill was not arrested or charged and if investigators find any criminal activity they will then turn the investigation over to the State Law Enforcement Division.
During the raid, Derick Chad Hardwick, 31, of Mullins was arrested and charged with the following: two counts of distribution of cocaine, two counts of distribution of a schedule IV controlled substance, distribution of a schedule III controlled substance, five counts of distribution of controlled substance in proximity to a school or park, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute a schedule IV controlled substance, two counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance in proximity to a school or park, and possession of anabolic steroids.
Hardwick is in the Marion County Detention Center on a $245,000 surety bond set by Marion County Chief Magistrate Danny Barker.
The Drug Unit initiated the investigation after receiving numerous complaints from concerned citizens.
“A lot of the drug investigations are assisted by concerned citizens taking a stand against illegal drug activity in their neighborhood. Citizen Involvement is paramount to our success,” Marion County Sheriff Mark Richardson said in a press release.
O’Boyle said South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services agents are charged with the community supervision of offenders placed on probation youthful offenders, and through a number of community sanctions, helping to ensure they meet specific conditions, he said. However, Hardwick was not on probation or parole, O’Boyle said.
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