Beaufort County public safety director resigns

BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) — The longtime director of public safety in Beaufort County has resigned after allegations he made discriminatory comments to a job applicant.

The Beaufort Gazette reports http://bit.ly/poCPPA that William Winn had been with the county for 32 years. County Administrator Gary Kubic says removing Winn was one of the toughest decisions he has ever made.

Winn is accused of making offensive comments when he approached another county worker, a white man, last month to gauge his interest in the position of county building codes director.

Kubic says Winn’s statements were inappropriate ethnic comments. But he says he doesn’t think they were racist, sexist or said maliciously.

Winn would not talk about the incident.

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Information from: The Beaufort Gazette, http://www.beaufortgazette.com