Former deputy arrested for taking money from sex offenders for herself, SC cops say
A former deputy at a Midlands sheriff’s office was arrested on multiple charges for taking money from sex offenders for her personal use, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said Monday.
Sabrina Mellerson, who was also a victim’s advocate with the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office, was taken into custody Friday, SLED said in a news release.
The 34-year-old Manning resident was charged with misconduct in office and embezzlement (less than $10,000), arrest warrants show.
She was locked up at the the Clarendon County Detention Center, according to the release. There was no word if bond had been set, or if Mellerson was released from jail.
Mellerson committed the crimes between July 2021 and April 2022, arrest warrants show.
During that time Mellerson was responsible for the sex offender registry at the sheriff’s office. She took cash payments from sex offenders that were supposed to be deposited at the Clarendon County Treasurer’s Office, but kept the money for her personal use, according to the arrest warrants.
On April 7, Mellerson confessed her scam to SLED agents, arrest warrants show.
Information on exactly how much money Mellerson took was not available, and there was no word what Mellerson did with the cash, if she spent it, and if so, what she bought with the funds.
Information about when Mellerson left her job with the sheriff’s office, and if she was fired, was not available.
There was no word if any of the sex offenders who gave her registration money were in trouble because of her scheme.
SLED conducted the investigation into Mellerson at the request of Clarendon County Sheriff Tim Baxley.
Mellerson’s case will be prosecuted by the 3rd Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
If convicted on the felony embezzlement charge, Mellerson faces a maximum punishment of 5 years in prison and a fine set at the judge’s discretion, according to South Carolina law. A maximum punishment for a conviction on the misdemeanor misconduct in office charge would mean a year in prison and a $1,000 fine, per South Carolina law.
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This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 12:35 PM with the headline "Former deputy arrested for taking money from sex offenders for herself, SC cops say."
