Richland Co. Rec Commission Director Indicted: Misconduct in Office Charge

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson says a Richland County Grand Jury has  returned an indictment against Richland County Recreation Commission Executive Director James Brown, III.

According to Wilson, Brown was indicted on 1 count Misconduct in Office. The offense is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The Attorney General’s office says the indictment alleges that from 2012 to 2015, Brown used his position as Executive Director to coerce and attempt to coerce female employees into having sexual contact with him.

The investigation was a collaborative effort by the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office, according to a release by the Attorney General.

The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.

Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.