LEXINGTON, S.C. — State agents have charged a former Lexington Police officer with official misconduct and two counts of obtaining goods under false pretenses after he purchased firearms equipment without the authorization of the Lexington Police Department.
James Edward Chambers, Jr., was charged by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) on March 15, 2023, for actions that took place from March 18, 2021, through Sept. 10, 2021.
According to the arrest warrants, during that time Chambers "did knowingly, willfully and without proper authorization obtain seven firearm suppressors for his own personal use from businesses federally licensed to sell firearms. Because Ofc. Chambers purported to have been acting on behalf of law enforcement agency, he was able to acquire the suppressors without obtaining the required federal tax stamp for each suppressor and without having to comply with other federal regulations pertaining to individual, purchasing and possessing firearm suppressors."
Chambers' purchases included:
- four firearm suppressors -- a Deadair Sandman K, two Yankee Hill Co. Inc. Turbo K's, and a Larue Tactical AKA Austin Precision Prod. M308 -- for his personal use from Kilo Charlie Weaponry, LLC (KCW) of 146 Litton Drive, Lexington, SC
- three firearm suppressors -- a Rugged Micro 76, a Rugged Surge 762, and a Rugged Obsidian 9 along with accessories for these suppressors (pistons and two flash hiders) -- from Rugged Design, Inc. at 1 Tungsten Trail in Travelers Rest, SC
SLED investigated the case after a request from Lexington Police Chief Terrence Green.
Green's office released a statement about Chambers' employment history with the agency, stating Chambers had been a member of the Lexington Police Department from May 2019 until early January 2022.
Chambers "was terminated from the department for misconduct due to lying during an internal investigation over department-issued equipment.
On January 5, 2022, notification was made to the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy that James Chambers had separated from the department due to misconduct.
After the termination of James Chambers, the Lexington Police Department was made aware that he had made several purchases of firearms equipment under the guise of department use while employed by our agency. Chief Terrence Green requested an outside agency to investigate the allegations, and the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) took over the investigation."
Chambers was booked into Lexington County Detention Center.
