South Carolina

Former South Carolina police chief admits he took $80,000 in seized money

CHARLESTON, S.C. — A former police chief in South Carolina has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $80,000 seized during a traffic stop.

Former Manning Police Chief Gary Shaffer will be sentenced at a later date after pleading guilty Thursday to theft of government funds and lying to a federal agent.

The State newspaper reports that prosecutors told the judge Shaffer had just $76 in his bank account just before the September 2015 traffic stop.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Lewis says Shaffer then started making a number of deposits from $500 to $5,000 in his account and in two months had more than $78,000 in the bank.

Lewis says Shaffer told a FBI agent the money came from his brother, who later told the agent that wasn't true.