Editor

Comments made in public during this past Tuesday night’s meeting by Fairfield County School board chairman Harold Heath alleging that officers of the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety participated in a conspiracy during his recent arrest for assault, have lead WDPS Chief Wayne Yates to call for an investigation of his department by SLED.

Heath alleged that a conspiracy existed between the WDPS officers and others to have him arrested on charges of assault brought by Ernest Yarborough, the public relations consultant for the Fairfield Parent’s Association.

Yarborough filed the assault complaint following an incident after a school board meeting in May where he alleged that Heath made verbal threats to do bodily harm to him.

WDPS Chief Wayne Yates said that a courtesy summons was issued to Heath concerning this alleged assault. The officers who issued the summons did not issue it “in accordance with policy,” and Heath said he was awakened in the middle of the night, placed into a police car, and there was never any warrant for his arrest.

“When it was brought to my attention (that the officers violated policy,) I had Deputy Chief Fred Lorick begin an internal investigation, which is ongoing,” said Chief Yates, “to gather the facts in the case of this original complaint.

“During that time, there were some allegations that there was some kind of conspiracy in order to have Mr. Heath arrested, but we have not found any factual information to say that is true.”

When a courtesy summons is issued, the Chief said, the person who the summons is issued to is not picked up and detained by officers. Heath was picked up and detained.

This is where the officers who picked up Harold Heath violated the Department policy, Chief Yates said.

Chief Yates said the WDPS has talked to Heath several times in the course of the investigation, “but there was no factual information given to us in reference to a conspiracy; he alluded to it several times. There were no facts, but there were rumor, conjecture and speculation,” he said.

“It wasn’t until (this past Tuesday night’s) school board meeting, that Mr. Heath did stand up and say there was a conspiracy.”

Yates added that the WDPS has received a written complaint from Harold Heath “that alleges a conspiracy between my officers, and according to Coach Heath, Ernest Yarborough and a school board member, who is un-named.”

Yates said when he spoke to Heath last week and Heath alluded to some type of conspiracy, Yates said if Heath had any information on the alleged conspiracy, the WDPS would investigate, or would call SLED to conduct an investigation.

Chief Yates said Heath did not confirm that he wanted a SLED investigation, and the WDPS continued with their internal one.

“But, because Mr. Heath has brought this out to a public forum, alleging criminal misconduct by my officers, I am calling for a SLED investigation.”