Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #146 [Part One] - The (Very Messy) ‘Green Sea 14’ Sex Scandal at Horry County Police and the Polygraph that Blew It All Up

Starting point is 00:00:01 This episode is brought to you by Defender. With the towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms and a waiting depth of 900 millimeters, the Defender 110 pushes what's possible. Learn more at landrover.ca. Amazon presents Laura versus fruit flies. Swarming your fruit and terrorizing your kitchen, these little freaks multiply at a rate that would make a rabbit say, yo. Chill.

Starting point is 00:00:34 But Laura shopped on Amazon and saved on cleaning spray, countertop wipes, and fly traps. Hey, fruit flies, your baby boom ends here. Save the Everyday with Amazon. I don't know how long it will take for ORI County Council to come to terms with the fact that they have lost all control of the ORI County Police Department and that they, should order for its disbandment. But until then, we have a series of episodes planned that will shine sunlight on the darkest and dirtiest, secrets, scandals, and cover-ups within the failed police department

Starting point is 00:01:19 to remind the taxpayers of the complete and utter mess Ory County Council is enabling, starting with the infamous Green Sea 14 scandal. My name is Mandy Matney. This is True Sunlight, a podcast exposing crime and corruption, previously known as the Murdoch Murders podcast. True Sunlight is a Lunar Shark production, written with journalist Liz Farrell. Well, hello, and welcome back to another two-part episode True Sunlight Week. Yay.

Starting point is 00:02:02 Before we get into today's show, I want to tell you something that we have heard from sources, but, for the record, have not verified. We certainly don't want to believe that it's true. it's true. A reliable source has confirmed to us that the South Carolina Supreme Court voted unanimously in favor of Ehrlich Murdoch getting a new trial and that their opinion should be official any day now. We have also heard that some political forces are trying to delay this news until after the primary where Attorney General Alan Wilson, you know the guy in charge of the entire Murdoch prosecution, is vying to be the Republican candidate for the for governor. Frankly, I hope that neither of those rumors that we have heard are true.

Starting point is 00:02:51 But I wanted to warn our listeners so we can all prepare in case it does happen. If Elek Murdoch gets a new trial, it does not at all mean that our legal analysis was ever wrong. In fact, it proves our point. All along, we have said that there are two systems of justice, one for people like the Murdox and one for everyone else. If this is true, Elyke Murdoch would be getting a second chance at fighting his murder charges simply and solely because he can afford to pay his attorneys to, like we said before, throw an entire bowl of legal spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks, while most defendants can only afford to throw a single strand of burrilla.

Starting point is 00:03:39 bought on sale. If something stuck with the Supreme Court, it is not because of great lawyering and it is not because Elyke is any less guilty than he was found to be in March of 2023. It is simply because the system was made for good old boys like him. Again, Team Murdoch is no closer to proving Elyke's innocence, as Dick Harputlian once said that they would do, even though it's not the standard, and they are no closer. to finding those real killers of Maggie and Paul than they were three years ago, again, as Dick Harputlian said they would. The facts of this case that are most convincing will never change.

Starting point is 00:04:23 Three people went down to the kennels on June 7th. Two died and one lied. However, I'll tell you something that has changed in the last three years. We have. Liz and I were beaten and broken down versions of ourselves when the first Murdoch murder's trial came around. We have been through it in the past three years with the legal system, and we have seen for ourselves just how sickly unjust our system is

Starting point is 00:04:50 to those who dare to stand up against the good old boys. So, if there is a new trial, bring it. And we will show the world again just how good we are at exposing the truth wherever it leads, giving a voice to victims, and getting the story straight. And if there isn't a new trial, then, well, we can all take a deep breath knowing that this Godforsaken story will never really be over. But at least we get a break until he tries to go all the way up to Washington with it. Again, let's hope the rumors and our source are wrong.

Starting point is 00:05:26 Let's hope our taxpayers don't have to waste another million dollars on convicting a man who was already going to be in prison for life for his financial crimes of double murder. again, and let's hope that if he is granted a new trial, that the powers that B can have enough backbone to try him again, and this time more efficiently. If what we're hearing is right and Ehrlich Murdoch will be facing a new trial, then this time we will be ready. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the latest and sign up for Luna Shark Premium so you won't miss a beat. And speaking of South Carolina being corrupt to its core, today we need to talk about ORI County Police. This is part one of this week's episode.

Starting point is 00:06:15 Be sure to come back on Friday to hear part two of the Bialis case where we dive into the investigation files of Randy Bialis' second wife's death. The old saying goes that corrupt police departments or corrupt policing practices are always the fault of a few bad apples, which fine. We got what people are trying to say there. Not all cops. Well, not all men either. But as you know, it's almost always men.

Starting point is 00:06:44 And when it comes to police corruption, it is almost always sworn officers of the law who are bound by oath to protect and serve the community, abide by the law themselves, create provide and promote safety who are paid by taxpayers and who are part of the only profession in the country where they're allowed to legally kill you if they feel threatened. So that's like saying, here, here's a lot of. slice of apple pie that I baked for you. There's only a few bad apples in it. Nobody wants to eat a pie like that, Mr. Police Chief. You shouldn't be serving people pie with bad apples in it. And you certainly shouldn't be charging taxpayers this much for those pies. Over the past two years,

Starting point is 00:07:24 we've told you about the terrible, god-awful apple pies coming out of the Ory County Police Department bakery. There's the way police treated Micah Francis in the months leading up to her death, throwing up their hands at her complaints of her estranged husband's alleged stalking and harassment, which contributed to her feelings of hopelessness. Then there's the Scott Spivey shooting investigation, which had Ory County Police literally helping Scott's killers avoid prosecution because one of them was friends with the deputy chief. And then there's the so-called sex scandal of 2025, involving the forced resignations of four officers, the public information officer, and the longtime director of public safety and emergency management,

Starting point is 00:08:01 which seems suspicious to us from the start simply because Orie County Police were suddenly super up front about what was happening. Turns out that was just Sutterfuge to cover up what seems like the agency's retaliation for two of the women reporting alleged sexual harassment by the longtime director of public safety and emergency management. Needless to say, the apple pies coming out of Ory County Police aren't just zero out of five-star pies, but pies that put people in the hospital, make people feel helpless, ruin families. lives result in death and cost taxpayers unknown amounts of money in avoidable lawsuits because of

Starting point is 00:08:38 the so-called bad apples. So what kind of dumb and reckless and sadistic bakers continue to bake pies with bad apples? The kind with customers who keep buying them, y'all, which is why being pesky is so important and why all of us need to constantly sound the alarm on guys like this and their disgusting pies and their terrible policing practices until they actually change something. It's why Scott Spocky. Bivie's sister, Jennifer Spivey Foley, and cousin Kevin Suggs, stood up in front of the seemingly but not surprisingly resistant ORI County Council last week and called on council members to create a referendum and put the question to voters whether to keep ORI County Police leadership structure the way it is or have ORI County Sheriff's Office absorb the department altogether.

Starting point is 00:09:22 Because again, Ory County is the only county in South Carolina that has a county-wide police agency, which what's the big deal about that, right? As it is, way too many people. don't even understand that there's a difference between a sheriff's deputy and a police officer. But if you listen to True Sunlight last week and to episode 122, you'll remember that a state senator pulled a coup in 1959 by fast-tracking a bill that rested law enforcement control in the county away from the sheriff whom he was beefing with, and put it in the hands of a police chief and department that answered to a small group of commissioners. So not a very honest beginning for this police agency.

Starting point is 00:10:00 something was up there. This call for a referendum is important because it's about who calls the shots. Where does the buck stop when it comes to police misconduct? With the sheriff's office, it's the sheriff. The buck stops with the sheriff and he is voted in by the people

Starting point is 00:10:15 so he is accountable to them. As long as they're paying attention and care about whether he's an upstanding man or a crook. By the way, I'm using the male pronoun there because in the history of South Carolina there has been only one woman elected sheriff. There were two other women who served as sheriff, but one was appointed in 2010, and the other

Starting point is 00:10:34 took over for her husband when he died in 1935. I feel like we need a moment of silence for that statistic. Anyway, with the police department, who actually calls the shots depends on the form of government. Sometimes it's the mayor who calls the shots. Sometimes it's a police commissioner. Sometimes it might actually be the police chief who is allowed to do his or her job free of politics. In ORI County, it's the county administrator who calls the shots.

Starting point is 00:11:01 The county administrator is the boss of ORI County Police Chief, Chris Lianhart, but the county administrator answers to the council. And I should mention, in many South Carolina counties, the county administrator is just a puppet of the most powerful person on council who might be a puppet for who knows who. Because when administrators are not a puppet of the most powerful person on council, when the most powerful person on council wants them to be, they run the risk of losing their jobs.

Starting point is 00:11:26 I know 10 out of 10 council members would disagree with me on that, but I know what I've seen in this world. More on that after a quick commercial break. Hey there, E.B. here. Your faithful cup of justice co-host. I am so excited to tell you about my new book, Anything But Blant. In this memoir, I share stories about my childhood, marked by bullying, my father's job loss, and the indomitable spirit that propelled me into the law and ultimately international recognition during the Alex Murdole murder trial. I believe in certain life principles that have helped me and helped others achieve success. From the power of organization and a sense of urgency to the importance of truth, leadership, and resilience. With vivid recollection from challenges

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Starting point is 00:12:59 demanded respect that would fight for the powerful on behalf of the clients who felt powerless. Since forming Blan Richter, we've stood tall against the largest law firms in the state, in the country, and in the world, and we've remained true to the commitment not to be pushed around to give tenacious representation with proven results. Tenacious representation, proven results, Blan Richter. Learn more about what we do and who we are by visiting. Blan-Richter.com. That's B-L-A-N-D-R-T-E-R dot com.

Starting point is 00:13:37 So, let's talk about some of the bad apple pies that have come out of the oven in Ory County and who the most powerful person on council has been during this time. That would be Council Chairman Johnny Gardner. Remember last year when Jennifer Spivey Foley stood in front of council, pleading with them to advocate for Scott's case

Starting point is 00:14:02 to be reopened? Johnny Gardner is the old guy who got annoyed with her and verbally pouted when the packed audience chose to applaud Jennifer after she was done speaking, rather than immediately listening to whatever his opinions on the Scots-Spot-Spivey case were, which is what he was directing the audience to do. So when Gardner first ran for County Council Chairman in April 2018, he seemed to come out of nowhere, according to reports. He wasn't a current County Council person at the time.

Starting point is 00:14:29 He ran against a water park owner, Mark Lazarus, who had been Council Chairman since 2013. Gardner won the Republican primary by a very slim margin, which caused a recount. In the end, he held on to his victory by 113 votes. On January 1st, 2019, he was sworn in as chairman. He ran for re-election again in 2022, and again faced Lazarus, who received 37% of the vote this time, while Gardner won about 25%. Because no candidate received over 50% of the vote,

Starting point is 00:15:01 it went to a runoff race two weeks later. In that race, Gardner won by 260 votes. But it wasn't over. Before I tell you why it wasn't over, though, it's wild, isn't it? That Gardner had four years to wow over voters, and he not only didn't wow them over enough to out and out win the primary,

Starting point is 00:15:18 he came in second to the previous guy. By a lot. Back to that. About 1,400 Republican primary voters in Ory County were sent Democratic ballots by accident. The mistake was allegedly caused by a network error on the vendor's end. ORI County was the only county in the state where this happened, though the entire state uses that same vendor for absentee ballots, according to reports.

Starting point is 00:15:40 Lazarus appealed the results but eventually accepted his loss. So, Johnny Gardner remained council chairperson. Here's David with Johnny's bio from the ORI County website. David is going to read it exactly as it appears on the county website, meaning it starts with Gobbley Gook. Development Corporation, recently he was honored as coach. Coastal Carolina, Johnny Gardner is a Ori County native, whose family roots in the area date back to the early 1700s. He graduated from Coastal Carolina University. He was the first officer commissioned through the University's Army ROTC program and served honorably as a captain with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.

Starting point is 00:16:30 After military service, he earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina and returned home to serve as an assistant solicitor before founding his law firm, which he has managed for over 30 years. Johnny entered electoral politics in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. He is currently serving his eighth year as ORI County Council Chairman. He also serves on the Executive Committee for the Northeastern Strategic Alliance and the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic University's alumni of the year for his leadership and community service. Oh, he's a lawyer. Okay, and a former state prosecutor.

Starting point is 00:17:23 I mean, well, now I understand a flat-top haircut a little more, but interesting. Let's see what kind of law he practices. David, will you read his bio from his law firm's website? Attorney Johnny Gardner grew up in Ory County, went to high school and college in Ory County, and practiced law in Ory County for over 25 years. He served as a United States Army Captain in the 82nd Airborne before attending law school. He began his career as a prosecutor. in the 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office before opening his law office and has used that experience

Starting point is 00:18:06 to defend ordinary people against the overwhelming power of government. Over his career, he has continued to study the law and trial techniques, and he continues to attend training courses in DUI defense and trial techniques. He has tried cases. large and small in virtually every criminal and civil court in the Grand Strand area. Johnny Gardner is an active member of the South Carolina Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the SCA-C-D-L. He took a three-day course for certification in DUI detection and standardized field sobriety testing, which is the same certification that law enforcement officers receive at the Academy.

Starting point is 00:19:03 Johnny Gardner cares about you and your case, and he is here to help. The overwhelming power of government, says the guy who is, well, not only in government, but technically has a whole lot of influence over the very same law enforcement, making lots of DUI arrest in the county that he serves. Now, I don't know how DUI cases go in other states, but in South Carolina, they are a notorious problem because the lawmakers make it damn near impossible to convict someone of a DUI.

Starting point is 00:19:45 In fact, last week, the House sent important DUI legislation back to committee, pretty much dooming the bill for this session. The legislation would have made the law more strict, something South Carolina's good old boys don't seem to love, even though South Carolina is number one in the nation for DUI fatalities. Which is a designation South Carolina really earned. First, misdemeanor DUIs are only prosecuted by police. Yes, police officers, not prosecutors. We have reached out to the ORI County Police Department to find out who prosecutes their non-felony DUI.

Starting point is 00:20:24 cases, and as of this episode, we have not heard back from them. But think about that. Police officers are not lawyers, and they do not stand a chance against a trained criminal defense attorney. Also, because of this practice, police and DUI defense attorneys are in a position to negotiate and get to know each other. Second, the law is full of lawyer-friendly loopholes to exploit. So, the system basically becomes a legal form of bribery, while offenders routinely get their DUI first offenses pleaded down to non-DUI traffic infractions for whatever the cost their attorney's retainer is. Let's say around 10 to 15 grand. And because they get the charge pleaded down to non-DUI traffic infraction, the next time they get a

Starting point is 00:21:18 DUI, it will once again be a first offense. and the process starts all over again. Also, third, according to 2024 data for mothers against drunk driving, ORI County ranks as one of the highest counties for DUI arrests and fatalities in one of the lowest for prosecutions. What's interesting, though, is that the data compiled by MAD in their court monitoring program does not appear to include ORI County Police Department's arrest. You know, the countywide agency. It is not clear why that is.

Starting point is 00:21:55 But I am clear on this. Referring to the overwhelming power of the government is not a stellar position for anyone to take when it comes to DUIs, never mind a county chairperson, who is supposed to be working for the good of the community. Of course, I'm sure he says that he does work for the good of the community by making sure sober people don't get convicted of DUIs. And I'm sure he says by making police better at their jobs.

Starting point is 00:22:25 To which we say LOL, please. But here's why we're bringing up Gardner's legal specialty as a DUI attorney. It is absolutely relevant when considering who should be in charge of a police department. I am not saying Gardner runs the Ory County Police Department or even has any special interest in how it is. run beyond his role as council chairman, nor am I saying that he has interfered in any way behind the scenes. I am saying that a DUI attorney has an interest in how DUI cases go, and the police are a pretty important factor in that. Anyway, we will talk more about Johnny Gardner in the future,

Starting point is 00:23:10 a whole lot more, as we continue to talk about why exactly the ORI County Police Department needs to be disbanded and have its jurisdiction handed over to the sheriff. Today we need to talk about yet another thing that happened under his watch as council chairman. Something we'd ordinarily call juicy or hot goss or the tea. But it's hard to think that way about this information, knowing all the other awful things that continue to go on at Worry County Police. But this one is the stuff of Ory County folklore. Anyone who knows anything about how Worry County Police operates behind closed doors,

Starting point is 00:23:46 seems to know about this one. And it has a name, as all good scandals do. Also, there's a number with the name, which is confusing, because a name with a number speaks more to people surviving wrongdoing, like the Charleston Nine, the Central Park Five, or like Los 33, the Chilean miners rescued after being trapped for 69 days underground. This is a lot different from that, like a lot different. Let's talk about the Green Sea 14. Starting with how ORI County leaders found out about the scandal, David. Oh, wait, if you're listening to this with kids in the car, what you're about to hear is rated X, so earmuffs, pause, save for later. Okay, go ahead, David. And David, I'm so sorry we're making you read this. ORI County Police Department, Office of Professional Standards,

Starting point is 00:24:39 1700 Airport Road, Conway, South Carolina, 29526. Date Monday, October 26, 2020. 2. Police Chief Joseph Hill From Inspector Stephen Phillips. Subject, Officer Josiah Doyle. Chief Hill I am in the process of conducting an internal affairs investigation on Officer

Starting point is 00:25:09 Josiah Doyle as a result of a polygraph that he has recently been administered. Officer Doyle has been employed with our agency on two occasions. His first employment cycle was 1017-16 to 21419, and his second cycle started on 4-1-2019. As a result of the polygraph examination, Inspector Hemingway and I conducted an in-person of immediate attention. Officer Doyle disclosed that during his employment he has had numerous sexual encounters with several females while he has been on duty. He also advised that he has sent numerous text messages with pictures of his genitals to numerous females while in uniform. He also advised that he has had to masturbate numerous times. while on duty. He also disclosed that he has driven his personal vehicle under the influence of

Starting point is 00:26:16 alcohol while employed as a police officer with the last one being two weeks prior to our interview. Officer Doyle advised that he was written up at his previous department for similar actions. These admissions come directly from Officer Doyle. Our investigation thus far has revealed Officer Doyle's behavior to be contrary to several ORI County policies relating to our conduct unbecoming of an officer section. And note to listener, policies is misspelled in this letter. His pattern of sexual activity is an extreme concern relating to the continued public trust of the Ory County Police Department. Respectfully, Inspector Stephen Thurgeon, Phillips, Boree County Police Department, Office of Professional Standards.

Starting point is 00:27:14 Did I ever tell you all about how my dog wraps himself in a blanket before he falls asleep? And sometimes he's so tired that he doesn't have it in him to do the rigorous work of positioning the blanket in a way that it creates a little cave for him to go under and then make it so the blanket covers his entire body. So he falls asleep with like just a little corner of the blanket, a little scrap of fabric covering his midsection. And he's in a chunky phase right now. So it's just really super cute how the blanket is just symbolically covering him and how he needs that little bit of comfort to feel secure enough to fall asleep. Um, anyway, yeah, I thought we needed a little brain cleansing puppy story after that one because what do you mean? An Oregon County police officer

Starting point is 00:28:04 did those things at work. Let's rewind a bit. After we began covering the Scotsby v.Ks, we had a lot of sources sharing tips about the many unorthodox things that happened at Orey County Police. And it wasn't just like, look at what these bad apples are doing. There was a lot of rotten apples are allowed to do these things and keep their jobs or resign with their certifications still intact. And what they did get swept under the rug, while the good apples get punished more harshly for much less. Green C-14 was one of those in-crowd stories. The sentiment seems to be that because of who is alleged to be involved, the whole affair, and I swear I'm not trying to make a pun there, got covered up as best as it could.

Starting point is 00:28:45 And the officers who were alleged to be involved were lightly slapped on the wrist for the most part, according to several sources. Now, what is Green Sea 14, right? The best we can tell is this. 14 male officers, plus some firefighters, had sex with a female officer in the ORI County Police Department's Green Sea Precinct Office while on duty. When I first heard that, I asked the obvious question, which was, are we talking about running a train here? Meaning, did all this happen at once?

Starting point is 00:29:12 One after the other? While the officers watched? Because again, what do you mean? O'Re County police officers did these things at work? The answer to those questions, by the way, is no. It appears that the 14 male officers plus some firefighters were part of the woman officers roster, and she was having what appears to have been consensual sex with them. And I say appears because I haven't been.

Starting point is 00:29:35 seen any records or lawsuits to suggest otherwise. Also, the woman officer still works for the department. Okay, so back to Officer Josiah Doyle in the polygraph he took. From what we've been told, old Josiah was applying to be a state highway patrolman. Obviously, part of the application included the dreaded polygraph, where you essentially had to confess all your sins to a law enforcement officer who basically went to some seminars to learn about lie detecting. Then you have to answer questions related to your potential ethical, legal, financial, and moral failings. In other words, it's a bad apple test, at least to some degree.

Starting point is 00:30:21 Technically, agencies don't want to hire a law enforcement officer who doesn't know right from wrong or who may be susceptible to blackmail due to his predilections. Now Josiah went for it, y'all. He left it all on the field. He confessed all his alleged sins, and some of which caused leadership at South Carolina Highway Patrol to be like, uh, yeah, we need to tell someone back at ORI County about this, which they did, and the ORI County police looked into it. What's funny and especially interesting about this is that some scandals are too big to

Starting point is 00:31:02 fully sweep under the rug. There's artistry defending things under the rug, right? According to ORI County Police Records, the artistry was there, but it seems like they ran out of space, meaning there is a lot of tiptoeing around certain elements of what allegedly happened with Green C-14. And it's going to take some time to fully uncover it all. This is just the beginning. More on that, after a quick commercial break, We'll be right back. There's something else here now. Something new.

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Starting point is 00:32:08 But let's talk about Josiah Doyle. Starting with, who is this guy anyway? According to South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy Records, Josiah started his career in law enforcement in April 2015 as a guard at ORI County Jail, which means he worked for the ORI County Sheriff's Office, but not as a Class 1 officer. Less than three months after starting there, he went on to the Loris Police Department, where he became a class one officer, meaning he went through training at the academy and got certified. Also, Lorris is where Scott Spivey was shot to death, by the way.

Starting point is 00:32:53 It's also where Weldon Boyd has his blueberry farm. Josiah stayed at Loris for just over 15 months before moving over to Ory County Police Department. Now, hang on. David, can you read the part about Josiah's previous workplaces from that letter again? Officer Doyle advised that he was written up at his previous department for similar actions. So that letter was written in October 2020. At that point, Josiah had worked for Ori County Police twice technically. There's a two-month gap in his service between February and April 2019 from when he went to work at a seafood restaurant where he said he was told he'd be made a manager,

Starting point is 00:33:36 according to records. He returned to the police department and was reinstated after that. didn't happen. There are no other police agencies he worked for during that time, so that would indicate he was written up at Loris, right? For similar actions and got hired by ORI County Police nevertheless, how did that slip through the cracks? Which, p.s. Again, I have to hand it to Josiah for his honesty in that polygraph because he didn't just tell the polygrapher and subsequent investigators what he allegedly did, but he also essentially told them they knew or should have known. the O'Rea County Police Department doesn't just bake pies with bad apples. They apparently go to the

Starting point is 00:34:16 bad apple store to stock up. They know what they're getting and what they're doing. Someone who is written up for sexual misconduct at work fits in fine at Ory County Police, right? I want to be clear before we go any further, though. We're not calling Josiah a bad person. In fact, all signs point to him being a decent man. Even his confession itself points to a person with a heavy conscience. No person is one thing. For instance, in June 2017, Josiah was named North Precinct Officer of the Month because he responded to a call where a basketball hoop was stolen from a neighborhood. He knew there'd be a little chance of recovering that stolen hoop, so he went to Walmart and bought a new one for the kids with his own money without telling anyone. His superiors didn't learn

Starting point is 00:35:01 about it until the victim contacted the local news. And that's not even the part that's telling to us. The telling part was the number of comments on a Facebook post about this, where people who appeared to know Josiah repeatedly spoke about his good heart. So no one here is denying that about him. In fact, Josiah's performance evaluations contained a lot of assessments of exceeds expectations. We're just saying that based on what we're seeing in these records, he's a bad candidate to be a police officer because we believe being a law enforcement officer requires professionalism. And the things Josiah confessed to in his polygraph were really not professional, to put it lightly.

Starting point is 00:35:38 Now, before this, there were a few disciplinary actions in Josiah's personnel file that really spoke to a training issue, in our opinions. First, in October 2017, Josiah was reprimanded for not completing a case file, which affected the court's ability to indict a suspect. Then, in April 2018, less than two years after Josiah had started with the ORI County Police and less than three years after becoming a certified law enforcement officer, Josiah, was written up for an incident that happened with a suicidal man he had in his custody. The suicidal man had a history of barricading himself in his residence. A year earlier, he had a standoff with police that lasted 16 hours.

Starting point is 00:36:24 Anyway, Josiah responded to a call for service at a home where the man was. Josiah believed that the man was in possession of a firearm, so he retreated and called for backup. After an hour's long standoff with the man that involves SWAT and police negotiators, the man was arrested and Josiah took him to Sea Coast Hospital to get checked out. After the inmate was clear, Josiah handcuffed him and escorted him out of the hospital to the police vehicle. But on the way to the vehicle, the inmate made a dash and eventually ran into traffic. I'll have David read from the disciplinary report because its way of wording is fascinating. The man's name is redacted, so David is going to refer to him as the suicidal man, simply

Starting point is 00:37:09 to remind us of the situation at hand. Officer Doyle was carrying a plastic bag and his computer in his left hand. Officer Doyle placed these items on the trunk of his patrol car and chased after the suicidal man on foot. The suicidal man ran from the parking area of Seacoast Medical Center toward the Judd Coon Chevrolet dealership, across the vehicle display lot and toured South Carolina Highway 9. Upon reaching Highway 9, the suicidal man leaped toward the roadway onto and in front of a 2015 Toyota Camry that was traveling east on SC9, causing damage to the vehicle.

Starting point is 00:37:58 Not damage to the vehicle? Not a Camry? Uh, the guy was hand. cuffed and running into traffic. Did he, I don't know, did he survive? The inmate received injuries from the collision and was transported to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center for Examination and later released. Ah, good. I assume they mentioned the damage first because I'm sure they had to pay for that, and that's part of why Josiah was being disciplined. But it's still interesting that this is what they mentioned before the condition of the

Starting point is 00:38:33 suicidal man who was in Josiah's care. The disciplinary report noted that this man's history of unstable behavior should have resulted in a greater degree of caution from Josiah, who should have, by training standards, held onto the elbow of the man as he escorted him to the vehicle. The report also noted that supervisors should not have assigned one officer to this man's escort. Josiah, though, was written up for his negligence. It's not clear what discipline he received beyond that, if any. A few months after that incident, Josiah was verbally reprimanded for not following up on a case that was assigned to him. But other than that, his personnel record shows no other issues before the October 2020 polygraph, which again was part of his application to work

Starting point is 00:39:16 for the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and Highway Patrol. Let's talk about that October 2020 report, though. So, like we said, Green C-14 allegedly involved a number of officers, plus some firefighters. It was Josiah Doyle's polygraph that allegedly led to the discovery of the whole hornet's nest there. The investigatory report in Josiah's file, though, does not indicate anything about there being a larger situation at hand

Starting point is 00:39:42 in the sense of 14 male officers plus firefighters. But it does get messy. Here is David with what the report written by Inspector Phillips says. I reviewed the results of the polygraph and found concerns relating to Josiah Doyle's fitness for duty as an Ory County police officer. The concerns I noted were a potential assault on his child. Uh, what? Okay, we'll get there. Keep reading, David.

Starting point is 00:40:15 Driving under the influence of alcohol and sexual activity while on duty, I also observed in the polygraph examination that another officer's name was listed. Okay, so this is where journalism gets messy. For now, we are not going to name the other officers allegedly involved in Green C-14 and other incidents that came out in this report. Like we said, this is just the beginning of our Green C-14 reporting and we have a lot more to do on this. For now, we'll use aliases. Let's call the other officer whose name was listed, the officer who is believed to be the woman officer who had sex in the Green Sea precinct with the 14 officers plus some firemen.

Starting point is 00:41:02 We're going to call her Tammy Lynn. Okay, let's hear more from David. I interviewed Officer Josiah Doyle at the Conway Airport. Inspector King Hemingway also assisted with the interview. Doyle was questioned about the examination. He had acknowledged during his examination that he did admit. to shaking his baby. Officer Doyle advised that after he came home from a night shift, that he was completely exhausted. He was trying to get some sleep and his baby would not stop crying. He stated

Starting point is 00:41:38 that he tried everything to stop his baby from crying. He said he fed it and changed it, but the baby would not stop crying. Officer Doyle said that he did pick up the baby and did shake it. He advised that there was no damage from the event and that it was a one-time occurrence. He said it occurred a few years prior. So, yeah, that's not good and not the temperament you won any law enforcement officer, who, no doubt, will be called upon to arrest a parent in a similar situation. What else, David? I inquired about his alcohol use and also,

Starting point is 00:42:22 driving his vehicle while he was impaired. Officer Doyle advised that he does drink alcohol frequently and did periodically drink alcoholic beverages and operate his personal vehicle. He advised that the last occurrence happened about two weeks prior to this interview. He stated that he, along with his fiancé, went to a bar in the North Myrtle Beach area and that he had several drinks. He stated that he did drive his vehicle back to his residence when he did not feel that he should have been driving. He advised that he didn't drink while on duty and never operated a police vehicle while intoxicated. Again, law enforcement officers should not be breaking laws that they are sworn to uphold. There cannot be a gray area there because the standard then becomes we can get away with it.

Starting point is 00:43:20 and the non-police officer citizens cannot, and the non-police officers citizens can't, which can foster feelings of superiority and untouchability, right? It also contributes to an us versus them mentality in how officers view the public. What else is in there, David? I also asked about his sexual activities while on duty. Officer Doyle advised that he was involved in sexual activities frequently while on duty. He also asked. He advised that prior to working for our agency that he worked for Loris Police Department and had been disciplined for similar acts while on duty with that agency. I asked him about specifics while working with the Ory County Police Department.

Starting point is 00:44:06 Officer Doyle advised that he was employed with our agency twice and that these events took place over both periods of employment. His sexual activities included sending pictures of of his penis while on duty and in uniform, masturbating frequently, and meeting with several women while on duty and in uniform for various sexual activities. He also advised that he met with a former South Carolina Highway Patrol officer. Her name is listed, but we are going to call her Jenny Sue. While they were both on duty to engage in sexual intercourse,

Starting point is 00:44:49 on several occasions and also that he met with an Ory County female officer, Tammy Lynn, on one occasion while they were both on duty. Again, not much detail there in terms of the location of the meetup with Tammy Lynn or where this occurred, just that they were both on duty. Investigators then spoke with Tammy Lynn. Here is David with that. Tammy Lynn was asked about sexual activity that occurred while on duty. She advised that her current position is a desk officer position for the West Precinct. That's Green Sea. She advised that she was involved with another Ory County Police officer who will call Bubba Lou for approximately two years. She stated that she did have or was engaged in sexual activity with Bubba Lou.

Starting point is 00:45:45 while she was on her lunch break. She advised she was not on duty during those times. She did advise that she had sexual relations with Bubba Lou while he was on duty. She stated that he met her at her mother's condominium located on North Myrtle Beach periodically while he was working, and they did engage in sexual activity periodically. She could not recall all of the time frames because the events occurred over a two-year period. I also questioned her about her escapade with Officer Doyle. Her escapade? My goodness. Okay, sorry, keep reading, David.

Starting point is 00:46:29 Tammy Lynn advised that they did meet at a scheduled area one time on a night shift a few years prior when she was on a patrol squad. She advised that she engaged in sex only one. She advised she was not involved in any other sexual activity while on duty. So in this interview, Tammy Lynn is denying the entire Green C-14 plus some firefighters exploit. Again, Josiah didn't accuse Tammy Lynn of hosting a precinct party with other men, but it's his polygraph that we've been told by multiple sources that cracked open this whole thing behind the scenes. Because obviously, this was covered up as much as possible.

Starting point is 00:47:16 Okay, David? During our investigation, we received information of possible sexual activity occurring between Bubba Lou and an officer. Her name is listed, but we're going to call her Charlotte, that he was training. We interviewed Charlotte at the Conway Airport. Charlotte was asked about sexual activity that occurred between herself and her field training officer. She advised that absolutely no sexual activity occurred between them. them. She did advise that Bubba Lou had been flirtatious periodically and said some things she felt

Starting point is 00:47:52 were inappropriate, but she wasn't concerned because she has a line drawn and would never cross that line. I asked her about one specific instance. Charlotte advised she was sitting with Bubba Lou in a vehicle one night and he blurted out, quote, I'd sure like to eat some pussie right now, end quote. Charlotte did not want anything done. and did not make a complaint about that to any supervisor or the training division. Charlotte did not change her story about the sexual activity and did not give myself or Inspector Hemingway any indicators of deception. She did seem hesitant on wanting to report the actions of Bubba Lou.

Starting point is 00:48:35 Her reasoning was that she did not want to cause any issues or be known as, quote, that officer, end quote. I think that says so much about the environment at Oari County Police Department that a woman training to be a law enforcement officer, a profession that needs more women in it, had to sit there and listen to her training supervisor, literally talk about his sexual appetite in that moment, and didn't report it because she didn't want to be known as that officer.

Starting point is 00:49:07 That means she feared retaliation. So how in the world can you be a professional organization of police officers when that behavior is not only tolerated, the culture punishes those who report it. Is there more, David? We then interviewed Bubba Lou at the Conway Airport. Bubba Lou was not forthcoming with information in the beginning. I asked him about his two-year relationship with Tammy Lynn and his sexual activity on duty. He started by saying he, quote, didn't recall anything while he was on the clock.

Starting point is 00:49:42 I gave him some details provided by Tammy Lynn. He migrated to, quote, it could or may have happened, but he wasn't sure, so I don't know if I was on duty, end quote. By the end of the interview, he did acknowledge that he did have sexual relations with Tammy Lynn at her mother's condo and also did receive oral sex from her one time

Starting point is 00:50:08 while he was on duty. Both Inspector Hemingway and I felt he was being deceptive with his answers. As far as Charlotte, Bubba Lou was adamant that he did not have sexual relations with her. Both Inspector Hemingway and I did not feel he was being deceptive with this issue. I did question him about his behavior regarding comments being made to Charlotte. He again couldn't remember anything that he said could have been out of line. he again migrated to, quote, I could have said something, end quote. I asked him about any specific comments and he could not recall any.

Starting point is 00:50:47 I then pinpointed the comment about his, quote, wanting to eat some pussie right now, end quote. He didn't remember saying that comment. Both Inspector Hemingway and I felt he was being deceptive with regards to making sexual comments. The ORI County Police Department, ladies and gentlemen, we'll talk more about Bubba Lou and Tammy Lynn and Josiah, who was allowed to resign in a future episode. The police department had a choice to fire Josiah,

Starting point is 00:51:23 but they allowed him to leave on his own terms. After that, Josiah went on to work for the Atlantic Beach Police, another local police agency. Josiah's case shows us that Ory County Police has a Pandora's box of rotting apples. So many that they have to make pies with them. So many that they might feel like looking the other way is better than finding out truly how few good apples are left when all the rotten ones are tossed. But again, all of this messiness occurs under someone's leadership. And right now, that leadership seems to have tolerated completely unprofessional behaviors for so long

Starting point is 00:52:05 that it has led to what seems to be free-for-alls. Tammy Lynn still works for Ory County Police. After this investigation, Bubba Lou continued to work for Ory County Police until April 2021 when he was terminated for misconduct. We will get into that in the future. There is no resting until this rotten apple orchard of a police agency is under new management.

Starting point is 00:52:29 Because, really, guys, there should be no resting until this rotten apple orchard of a police agency is under entirely new management. So buckle up, Lianhart. And before we go, don't forget to listen to Part 2 of this episode on Friday, where we will be diving back into the Bialis case

Starting point is 00:52:50 in uncovering the investigation of Randy's second wife, Shauna. So much to unpack there. Until next time, stay tuned, stay pesky, and stay in the sunlight. True Sunlight is a Luna Shark production created by me, Mandy Matney, co-hosted and reported by journalist Liz Farrell, research support provided by Beth Braden, audio production support provided by Jamie Hoffman and Grace Hills,

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Murdaugh Murders Podcast - TSP #146 [Part One] - The (Very Messy) ‘Green Sea 14’ Sex Scandal at Horry County Police and the Polygraph that Blew It All Up

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