Florence County deputy no longer employed after recorded incident uploaded to YouTube

FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A Florence County deputy is no longer employed after a recorded incident was uploaded to YouTube, according to Florence County Sheriff TJ Joye.

Deputies became aware of an incident Monday after a written complaint was filed by a person who was arrested by Sgt. Morrison, Joye said. Deputies opened an Internal Affairs Investigation and determined there were “numerous FCSO Policy violations during the incident” after reviewing all available video, including body worn cameras, and interviews with deputies on scene.

Morrison is no longer employed by the sheriff’s office due to the incident, Joye said. The matter has also been handed to the 12th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Joye said the sheriff’s office has met with the person involved and his attorney and made all existing video in its entirety.

The video, which was posted to YouTube, shows someone being approached by a deputy while recording video and being tackled to the ground while being arrested.

News13 is working to learn more information about the incident and what led up to it.

“Our agency has conducted training on the handling of First Amendment rights and that training is ongoing,” Joye said in a statement. “We will continue to respect the First Amendment rights of the citizen’s of Florence County and those who travel here.”

No other details were immediately available.