CHESTER, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – Former Chester County supervisor, Shane Stuart was scheduled for a hearing in a Chester County courtroom on Wednesday morning according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
Before court began, the Clerk of Court for the State Grand Jury informed news media there was an attorney/client issue and the judge ordered Stuart to find new counsel by November 12th.
According to investigators, Stuart was charged in September 2020 with trafficking and distributing meth along with others charges.
According to investigators, in addition to those charges, Shane Stuart also allegedly conspired to cut car parts out of county vehicles to sell them – and allegedly used county resources to traffic meth.
Along with Stuart, authorities say former Chester County Animal Control Supervisor, Ace Hembree and a woman named Brittany Oneppo were also charged with trafficking drugs.
Chester County Sheriff, Max Dorsey didn’t speak on camera today but said off camera, he is disappointed things didn’t go as planned. He says he believes it was a possibility Stuart would have entered a guilty plea. Dorsey goes on to say he still have confidence in the judicial system and supports the Attorney General’s Office. He adds he’s looking forward to court in the near future to resolve this case along with the others involved.
At the time, officials say a new court date for Stuart has not been set.
Shane Stuart served as Chester County Supervisor for 5 years when he was elected in March 2015.
When charges came down in 2020 South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed an executive order suspending Stuart from his elected position as supervisor and appointed a new one . Dr. Wylie Frederick is now the county supervisor.
Below is original statement in 2020 from the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office regarding the investigation.
“(COLUMBIA, SC) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that South Carolina State Grand Jury indictments were unsealed today against Chester County Supervisor Kenneth Shane Stuart. These indictments charge not only public corruption but also narcotics offenses.
Stuart, 47, has served as the elected Chester County Supervisor since March of 2015. He was re-elected to another four year term in November of 2018.
In the first indictment, venued in Chester County, Stuart was charged with Conspiracy, Distribution of Methamphetamine (2 counts), and Common Law Misconduct in Office. The penalty for Conspiracy is up to 5 years in prison and/or a fine of not more than $25,000. The crime is a felony. The penalty for Distribution of Methamphetamine is 0-15 years in prison and/or a fine of $25,000 per count. The crime is a felony. The penalty for a violation of Common Law Misconduct in Office is up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine in the discretion of the court. This crime is a misdemeanor.
In the second indictment, venued in York County, Stuart was charged with Trafficking Methamphetamine 10 grams or more. The penalty for this crime is 3-10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. The crime is a felony.
Stuart was also charged with an arrest warrant issued today for Trafficking Methamphetamine 400 grams or more. This crime is punishable by 25-30 years in prison and a $200,000 fine. It is a felony. Also charged in this investigation with arrest warrants for Trafficking Methamphetamine 400 grams or more were Ace Donovon Hembree, 32, and Brittany Jane Oneppo, 40.
This investigation has been conducted with a partnership of the South Carolina Attorney General’s State Grand Jury Section, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, the York County Sheriff’s Office, the Sixth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, and the Sixteenth Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit. The case will be prosecuted by State Grand Jury Section Chief Attorney S. Creighton Waters, Assistant Attorney General David Fernandez, and Assistant Attorney General John Conrad.
Attorney General Wilson stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”
