Former sheriff in South Carolina county rocked by scandal pleads guilty to lying to agents

Ex-sheriff in scandalized SC county pleads guilty

UNION, S.C. — A former South Carolina sheriff known for investigating the case of a woman who claimed a carjacker took her children has himself pleaded guilty to a federal crime.

Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald says former Union County Sheriff Howard Wells pleaded guilty Thursday to lying to agents about money he loaned in exchange for interest he didn’t report as taxable income. He could be sentenced to up to five years.

Wells drew national attention in 1994 when Susan Smith confessed to him she had strapped her young sons into their car seats and let the car roll into a lake. She initially said they’d been kidnapped.

Wells is the latest of several local officials found guilty of federal crimes. The mayor and a zoning official have served prison time for bribes.