'Unwarranted': State investigating allegations top drug cop in South Carolina county lied to get search warrant
Nov 28, 2024
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- When Sgt. Larry Tucker typed a search warrant affidavit to raid a suspected drug dealer's home on Legrand Street in Cheraw on Oct. 11, he knew the information he typed into the warrant affidavit hadn't happened yet.
"In the last 72 hours a CI (Confidential Informant) made a Controlled Drug Purchase of Methamphetamine from the residence…," sources told us the warrant stated.
Our sources told Queen City News Chief Investigative Reporter Jody Barr that no one in the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office's drug unit had purchased anything from the suspected drug dealer at the time.
Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Mike Irvin was "reassigned" after a drug agent under his supervision told the sheriff's office that Irvan had him get a search warrant based on a controlled drug purchase that never really happened. Irvin was the McBee, S.C. police chief until June 2024 when he left to rejoin the sheriff's office as the head of the sheriff's drug unit. (WJZY Photo/Jody Barr)
Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Larry Tucker was reassigned after he told the sheriff's office the head of the sheriff's drug unit directed him to get a judge to issue a search warrant based on a drug buy that never happened. Tucker said his boss, Sgt. Mike Irvin, told him not to tell the judge the buy hadn't actually happened when Tucker took the search warrant affidavit to be signed. (WJZY Photo/Jody Barr)
Sgt. Tucker would later confirm that fact. Tucker is a member of the sheriff's drug unit and works under Sgt. Mike Irvin's supervision.
Tucker said his boss told him to type up the affidavit so that when the drug purchase actually happened, they could go to the judge to get a search warrant.
At some point, Tucker said Irvan wanted a judge's signature on the search warrant. Tucker confirmed to QCN that Irvin told him to take the warrant affidavit to a Chesterfield County Magistrate with Mike Irvan's signature at the bottom and get the judge to sign it.
And just like that, a search warrant was issued based on a sworn statement from Sgt. Mike Irvin that a controlled drug buy happened at that home on Legrand Street.
That one sentence brought state investigators back to Chesterfield County to open another criminal investigation into the sheriff's office.