Advertisement Sheriff accused of using county funds to go shopping is indicted, suspended Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone charged with misconduct in office, embezzlement Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A South Carolina sheriff has been suspended after prosecutors say he used county funds and drug seizure money to buy groceries, lose weight, get windows tinted and purchase sporting goods and other personal items.Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone was charged Wednesday with misconduct in office and two counts of embezzlement.The indictments say Boone used the money on a wide range of items, including bicycle and baseball equipment, coolers, tools and floor mats. The documents list places Boone shopped, including Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, Mainstream Boutique and Rapid Weight Loss.The indictment doesn't give the exact amount Boone spent, but says it is less than $20,000.A press release from the Florence County Sheriff’s Office said Boone was arrested without incident by SLED agents Wednesday morning.Gov. Henry McMaster suspended Boone because of the charges. An interim sheriff will be appointed to serve until the matter is resolved, according to the Sheriff’s Office.“From the very beginning, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office brought the allegations supporting the indictment to the attention of SLED. “FCSO has and will continue to cooperate with SLED and the S.C. Attorney General’s Office in the investigation and will be open for a full and complete audit of all spending by this office,” the FCSO release says.Boone was in the news recently when he responded to criticism by some for turning down help from the State Law Enforcement Division during an ambush shooting in October in a Florence subdivision that left two officers dead.Boone talked to WPDE in March about his decision. He told WPDE that SLED had called and offered help during the standoff after the ambush, but he told them, “It’s not that we don’t want you. We don’t need you.” He told SLED he expected the standoff to be “over in 10 minutes,” and he said that they were going to “eliminate this threat, one way or another.”In a Post & Courier investigative piece on March 19 headlined: “Above the Law: SC sheriffs fly first class, bully employees and line their pockets with taxpayer money,” Boone was one of several sheriffs criticized for their use of funds.The Post & Courier cited a conflict between Boone and finance director Kevin Yokim that was first reported by news and opinion blog FitsNews. The report said Boone tried to put three hotel rooms on the county’s tab, two rooms for himself and a third for a retired sheriff.When finance director Kevin Yokim asked Boone for an explanation, the sheriff reportedly sent an email saying he didn’t have to ask Yokim's permission or give an explanation for anything he did and told Yokim to never question him again. When Yokim responded that he was trying to ensure that county funds were being used for valid public purposes, Boone responded with a voicemail threatening to send a deputy to Yolkim’s house if he did not call him immediately, and another that said: “I don’t know what your deal is putting your nose in other people’s business. ... You haven’t seen hell yet because I’m coming back and I’m going to take it away from all y’all and do whatever I need to do.”SLED investigated the incident and agents agents found that though the exchange was “unprofessional and rude,” it was not a crime. The charge for Boone and his colleagues’ six-night stay at the Myrtle Beach convention was $2,364.53, the Post & Courier reported.Boone did not respond to an email Wednesday from The Associated Press seeking comment on the indictment.Gov. Henry McMaster appointed former Florence County Sheriff Billy Barnes to serve as interim sheriff. Barnes served as Florence County Sheriff from 1974 to 1993. He most recently served as the department’s polygraph examiner.