Frontrunner in Charleston County sheriff's race rejects call to drop out

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – The candidate who received the most votes in Tuesday's Republican primary for the Charleston County sheriff's race said he will not drop out of the race.

Greg Kitchens, a former Charleston County sheriff's deputy, received the most votes in the Republican primary, beating the second-place vote-getter, former Mount Police Chief, by 3 percent. Pleasant, Carl Ritchie. But because Kitchens didn't get more than 50 percent of the total vote, he and Ritchie will face off again in a runoff on June 25.

Ritchie called on Kitchens to withdraw from the race after a report that Kitchens was accused in a lawsuit of beating a suspect while he was a deputy in 1995. The victim claimed in court documents that another deputy must have stopped Kitchens from continuing. Kitchens resigned shortly after the complaint was filed.

Ritchie responded Monday to the report on the lawsuit as well as an internal investigation that he said “further detailed the actions of another deputy, then-Lt. Knight Harris, to arrest Kitchens during the incident: »

I am appalled not only by the actions alleged in the lawsuit, but also by Greg Kitchens' smug and ignorant response. The victim received monetary compensation. The fact that Greg Kitchens claims he has been exonerated shows how out of touch he is with reality. The only person who was exonerated for his actions that night was Lt. Harris, who not only had to forcibly knock Kitchens down, but also punched Kitchens in the face after the incident. Again, Lt. Harris was exonerated for his actions and later rose to the ranks of captain. Greg Kitchens resigned shortly after the lawsuit was filed and has not served in law enforcement in more than 25 years.

Charleston County deserves a sheriff it can trust to serve and protect. Although Kristin Graziano does not have the leadership ability to do just that, the information in this lawsuit will give her the ammunition to win re-election if Greg Kitchens is the Republican nominee. Charleston County can no longer have Kristin Graziano as sheriff. If Greg Kitchens is serious about fixing the sheriff's office and replacing Graziano with a competent Republican sheriff, he should get out of the race today.

The Kitchens campaign released a statement Monday afternoon in response to Ritchie's:

Colonel Kitchens is a principled leader with a long record of leadership excellence and has a strong reputation for his citizenship here in the Lowcountry. Charleston County voters chose Colonel Kitchens on June 11 and will again choose his vision to transform the Charleston County Sheriff's Office into the best law enforcement agency in South Carolina on June 25. the breed seems desperate and disconnected. His suggestion to do so is a slap in the face to the voters who chose Colonel Kitchens, not to mention Captain Rick Keys who finished third and supported the Colonel last Friday. Acts of desperation are not what we need from our elected officials. Charleston County voters know this and will choose Colonel Kitchens' vision to transform the Charleston County Sheriff's Office into something great. Greg Kitchens has strong support from local law enforcement and remains the top candidate to unseat the incumbent in November.

Kitchens said in response to questions about the trial last week that he had been exonerated and faced no punishment, which he said “indicates in itself that someone is trying to dig him up and transform it into something it is not.

He also said, “any good cop can sue.”

“Law enforcement involves a fair amount of unfortunate violence. Some people don't want to go to prison. And some things become disproportionate. Some people file lawsuits when they don’t really have a case,” Kitchens said.

The winner of the June 25 primary runoff will face Democratic incumbent Sheriff Kristin Graziano in November.

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