Two former Wagener fire chiefs have been arrested by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), marking a dramatic escalation in a long-running investigation into misconduct and financial mismanagement within the town’s troubled fire department.
Joseph Mark Redd, 66, of Wagener, was arrested Tuesday and charged with misconduct in office, malfeasance, and breach of trust with fraudulent intent, according to SLED.
David Watson, 52, of Neeses, was also arrested Tuesday and charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent. Watson resigned as chief in October 2023 after police uncovered what they described as excessive and unsubstantiated overtime claims totaling more than $42,000.
The arrests are the latest chapter in a years-long saga that has seen Wagener’s fire department go through a revolving door of leadership, multiple scandals, and near-collapse.
Now, nearly a year after the department was left on the brink of losing its entire staff, town leaders say they are turning a corner. Mayor Mike Miller and the Wagener Town Council have appointed Hendrik Swanepoel as the department’s new permanent fire chief.
Swanepoel’s appointment follows the November 2024 resignation of former Chief Tillman Rushton, who stepped down after just one year on the job. Rushton’s four-page resignation letter cited internal frustrations and challenges in stabilizing the department, which had already endured years of public controversy and leadership turnover.
The problems began in 2020, when Mark Redd, then chief of the volunteer fire department, was abruptly fired after more than two decades at the helm. His dismissal led to a mass resignation of firefighters and reduced the department’s roster from 12 members to just four, leaving the town scrambling to maintain emergency coverage.
According to arrest warrants, Redd, while serving as fire chief from 2007 to 2016, knowingly used a Town of Wagener bank account for personal financial gain. Redd allegedly wrote checks to himself and family members that he labeled as “loans,” totaling approximately $6,200, along with another $750 in personal payments disguised under false pretenses. He is also accused of spending $419.94 in town funds to purchase firearm components unrelated to his duties, and attempting to conceal the nature of the spending.
A second warrant consolidates the total misuse of funds to $7,369.94, and charges Redd with misconduct in office, malfeasance, and breach of trust with fraudulent intent.
Watson was brought in during the department’s rebuilding phase, but in October 2023, a Wagener Police Department investigation revealed that Watson had allegedly been logging 20–26 hours of overtime each week dating back to mid-2022. The overtime amounted to over 1,700 hours and tens of thousands in taxpayer-funded pay, prompting his resignation and the eventual referral of the case to SLED.
Watson allegedly claimed over $42,000 in fraudulent overtime pay during his time as the town’s maintenance supervisor, a role he held alongside serving as fire chief. From June 2022 through October 2023, Watson reportedly submitted overtime justification forms averaging 26 hours per week, without substantiating the claims, according to the arrest warrant.
Both arrests are part of the same broader investigation into mismanagement of public resources and internal misconduct within the fire department.
With Swanepoel now at the helm, town officials are hoping to rebuild public trust and provide long-term stability to the fire service.
