wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina |Fired Sumter cop charged with stealing money on the job

SUMTER, SC (WIS) - A former Sumter police officer fired back in June after being accused of stealing money has been arrested for the theft, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.

SLED Agent Douglas Rogers said Alex Williams is charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent for the incident, which happened around May 30 in Sumter.

Williams, then a Master Patrolman with the Sumter Police Department, responded to a call on Broad Street after a man found $1,235 in cash at the Cromer Car Wash. Williams left with the cash, but didn't file a report or turn the money in.

Williams told WIS he was flagged down shortly after the encounter by someone who asked about the lost money, and returned the cash without getting any identification or license plate information from the person. 

"I asked him curiously how much, and he tells me the amount that was turned it," Williams said back in July. "I said okay, so I'm thinking this gentleman knows how much is found, so it makes sense to me."

Rogers said Williams also didn't have the person fill out a property receipt, which is required by the police department. Investigators believe Williams kept the money for himself.

After he was fired by the police department in June, Williams told WIS he was assaulted by his supervisor at the police department. Williams claimed Major Alvin Holston grabbed his hand and screamed at him while inquiring about the missing money, and that his firing was retaliation for speaking out about the supposed assault.