TSP #146 [Part One] - The (Very Messy) ‘Green Sea 14’ Sex Scandal at Horry County Police and the Polygraph that Blew It All Up

Summary

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True Sunlight, Episode #146 (Part One):

The (Very Messy) ‘Green Sea 14’ Sex Scandal at Horry County Police and the Polygraph that Blew It All Up

Podcast: True Sunlight (formerly Murdaugh Murders Podcast)
Date: April 30, 2026
Hosts: Mandy Matney & Liz Farrell

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Episode Overview

In this explosive first installment of a two-part series, Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell turn their investigative lens to the Horry County Police Department (HCPD) in South Carolina, digging into its legacy of dysfunction, corruption, and a sex scandal known as "Green Sea 14." The episode unpacks the environment that allowed this scandal—and so many others—to unfold, examining how leadership, power structures, and toxic cultures have failed citizens. Using meticulous journalism, the hosts expose ongoing cover-ups, double standards, and the consequences for both the force and the community.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Two Systems of Justice: The Murdaugh Update

• Mandy provides unverified but credible-sounding rumors that the South Carolina Supreme Court may grant Alex Murdaugh a new murder trial, possibly delayed for political reasons until after the primary (01:04).
  • “If Alec Murdaugh gets a new trial, it does not at all mean that our legal analysis was ever wrong. In fact, it proves our point. All along we have said that there are two systems of justice. One for people like the Murdaughs and one for everyone else.” — Mandy Matney (03:03)
• Emphasizes the podcast’s commitment to exposing truth and championing victims, regardless of verdicts or retrials.

2. The “Rotten Apple” Analogy for Police Culture

• The hosts dismantle the “few bad apples” excuse for police misconduct, describing how “bad apple pies” result in real harm, not just to individuals but to whole communities (06:33).
  • “That’s like saying, here, here’s a slice of apple pie that I baked for you. There’s only a few bad apples in it. Nobody wants to eat a pie like that, Mr. Police Chief.” — Mandy Matney (07:15)
• Summarizes a litany of previous scandals within HCPD: mishandled stalking allegations, covering for cop-linked killings, retaliation against whistleblowers.

3. Push for Reform: The Referendum Proposal

• Details a recent push by family members of Scott Spivey (who was shot and killed in Horry County), specifically Jennifer Spivey Foley and Kevin Suggs, to urge Horry County Council to let citizens vote on whether to dissolve the HCPD and have the Sheriff’s Office absorb it (08:53).
• Historical context: Horry is the only SC county with a standalone police department, the result of a political coup in 1959 (09:36).

4. Power, Politics, and Policing in Horry County

• Dissects the diffuse and often opaque power structure of police leadership, centered on County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner.
• Johnny Gardner’s background: local roots, military, prosecutor, DUI defense lawyer, and influence over police accountability.
  • “The overwhelming power of government. Says the guy who is…in government…with a whole lot of influence over the very same law enforcement making lots of DUI arrests…” — Liz Farrell (18:50)
• Explores South Carolina’s notoriously ineffective DUI laws and notes Horry ranks among the highest for DUI deaths, lowest for prosecutions, and that the system favors those with money to fight charges.

5. The ‘Green Sea 14’ Scandal: Anatomy of a Cover-Up

The Polygraph that Blew Up the Story (24:13)

• Introduced with a content warning: “what you’re about to hear is rated X,” as the deeply inappropriate conduct is about to be revealed.
• Letter from Inspector Stephen Phillips details Officer Josiah Doyle’s confessions during his polygraph for a state highway job:
  • Engaging in sexual acts with multiple women while on duty;
  • Sending explicit pictures while in uniform;
  • Masturbating on duty;
  • Driving under the influence (personal vehicle);
  • Prior discipline for similar actions at another police department.

What Was ‘Green Sea 14’? (29:03)

• According to sources, 14 male officers and several firefighters had sex (over a period, not simultaneously) with a female officer in the Green Sea precinct while on duty.
• Sources paint a picture of systemic permissiveness: “rotten apples are allowed to do these things and keep their jobs or resign with their certifications still intact, and what they did gets swept under the rug, while the good apples get punished more harshly for much less.” — Mandy Matney (27:13)

Investigation Fallout

• Doyle’s honesty in his polygraph is highlighted (“all signs point to him being a decent man…heavy conscience”) alongside evidence of why he is unsuitable for police work (34:29–36:35).
• Additional details:
  • Doyle was previously written up for sexual misconduct at Loris PD, which did not prevent his hiring at HCPD.
  • Past discipline: negligence during a suicide standoff, failing to follow up on a case.
  • His actions prompted a broader investigation, although official reports are careful to avoid mentioning the full extent of Green Sea 14.

Internal Affairs Interviews (41:13–52:24)

• Confessions include shaking his baby in exhaustion, periodic drunk driving (not in his patrol car), and sexual activity while on duty (41:34).
• Interviews with involved parties (aliases used):
  • Tammy Lynn: Admits to a sexual relationship with “Bubba Lou,” partially while he was on duty, but denies the wide-ranging multi-partner aspect of “Green Sea 14.” (46:34–48:10)
  • Charlotte (trainee): Reports inappropriate comments from Bubba Lou but doesn’t want to report it for fear of being labeled “that officer” — highlighting a culture that punishes whistleblowers more than offenders (50:01).
  • Bubba Lou: Evasive, ultimately admits to some sexual activity on duty after pressure.
• The investigation led to Doyle’s resignation (not firing), allowing him to move elsewhere in law enforcement; others kept their jobs or were only lightly disciplined.

6. Corruption and Accountability: Where Does the Buck Stop?

• The hosts criticize how bad behavior is tolerated and covered up through diffuse leadership and political protection.
• Tammy Lynn still works at HCPD; Bubba Lou was eventually fired for misconduct in 2021 (52:24–53:09).
• New lawsuits are brewing (Johnny McCoy representing a former captain against Chief Leonhart) and the episode ends with a call to action for reform and continued coverage.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[These] apple pies coming out of Horry county police aren’t just zero out of five-star pies but pies that put people in the hospital, make people feel helpless, ruin families’ lives, result in death and cost taxpayers unknown amounts...because of the so-called ‘bad apples.’” — Mandy Matney (08:04)

• “There should be no resting until this rotten apple orchard of a police agency is under entirely new management.” — Liz Farrell (52:45)

• “How in the world can you be a professional organization of police officers when that behavior is not only tolerated—the culture punishes those who report it?” — Mandy Matney (50:15)

• “We’re not calling Josiah a bad person…No person is one thing…But being law enforcement requires professionalism and the things Josiah confessed to…are really not professional, to put it lightly.” — Mandy Matney (36:17)

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Important Timestamps

• 03:00–06:00 – Murdaugh retrial rumors and reflection on justice system disparity
• 06:33–08:53 – “Rotten apples” analogy and overview of recent HCPD scandals
• 08:54–11:46 – Push for a referendum to dissolve HCPD, history of power struggles
• 13:22–19:00 – Background and influence of Council Chairman Johnny Gardner; discussion of DUI law loopholes
• 24:13–29:21 – The “Green Sea 14” scandal and the polygraph that led to its exposure
• 34:29–37:00 – Josiah Doyle’s work and discipline history
• 41:13–44:26 – Polygraph interview details: child endangerment and DUI confessions
• 46:34–50:38 – Interviews with Tammy Lynn and Charlotte about workplace sex and harassment
• 50:39–52:24 – Interview with Bubba Lou; how the workplace culture enables unprofessionalism

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Tone and Speaker Style

• Sharp, investigative, and unsparingly direct about power abuses and systemic failures.
• Empathetic toward whistleblowers and victims, with well-placed moments of levity (e.g., puppy story as a palate cleanser after disturbing revelations).
• Occasional sarcasm when discussing leadership and system failures.

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Conclusion & Continuation

The episode closes with the anticipation of:

• Part two, which promises further investigation into related corruption and the death of Randy Bialis’ second wife,
• A call to monitor Johnny McCoy’s impending lawsuit against HCPD,
• Encouragement to “stay pesky and stay in the sunlight,” reinforcing the show’s mission to keep systemic corruption in the public eye.

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Transcript

[Mandy Matney]

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[Liz Farrell]

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[Mandy Matney]

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[Liz Farrell]

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But until then, we have a series of episodes planned that will shine sunlight on the darkest and dirtiest secrets, scandals and cover ups within the failed police department to remind the taxpayers of the complete and utter mess Horry County Council is enabling, starting with the infamous Green Sea 14 scandal. My name is Mandy Matney. This is True Sunlight, a podcast exposing crime and corruption previously known as the Murdoch Murders. Podcast True Sunlight is a Luna Shark production written with journalist Liz Farrell. Well hello and welcome back to another two part episode True Sunlight week. Yay. Before we get into today's show, I want to tell you something that we have heard from sources but for the record have not verified. We certainly don't want to believe that it's true. A reliable source has confirmed to us that the South Carolina Supreme Court voted unanimously in favor of E.K. murdoch getting a new trial and that their opinion should be official any day now. We have also heard that some political forces are trying to delay this news until after the primary where Attorney General Allen Wilson, you know, the guy in charge of the entire Murdoch prosecution, is vying to be the Republican candidate for Governor. Frankly, I hope that neither of those rumors that we have heard are true, but I wanted to warn our listeners so we can all prepare in case it does happen. If Alec Murdoch gets a new trial, it does not at all mean that our legal analysis was ever wrong in Fact, it proves our point. All along we have said that there are two systems of justice. One for people like the Murdaughs and one for everyone else. If this is true, Alec Murdoch would be getting a second chance at fighting his murder charges simply and solely because he can afford to pay his attorneys to, like we said before, throw an entire bowl of legal spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. While most defendants can only afford to throw a single strand of Barilla bought on sale. If something stuck with the Supreme Court it is not because of great lawyering and it is not because Ellick is any less guilty than he was found to be in March of 2023. It is simply because the system was made for good old boys like him. Again, to Team Murdoch is no closer to proving elliec's innocence as Dick Harpoutlian once said that they would do, even though it's not the standard. And they are no closer to finding those real killers of Maggie and Paul than they were three years ago. Again, as Dick Harpootlian said they would. The facts of this case that are most convincing will never change. Three people went down to the kennels on June 7. Two died and one lied. However, I'll tell you something that has changed in the last three years. We have. Liz and I were beaten and broken down versions of ourselves when the first Murdoch murders trial came around. We have been through it in the past three years with the legal system and we have seen for ourselves just how sickly, unjust our system is to those who dare to to stand up against the good ol boys. So if there is a new trial, bring it and we will show the world again just how good we are at exposing the truth wherever it leads, giving a voice to victims and getting the story straight. And if there isn't a new trial then well, we can all take a deep breath knowing that this godforsaken story will never really be over. But at least we get a break until he tries to go all the way up to Washington with it. Again, let's hope the rumors and our source are wrong. Let's hope our taxpayers don't have to waste another million dollars on convicting a man who is already going to be in prison for life for his financial crimes of double murder. Again. And let's hope that if he is granted a new trial that the powers that be we can have enough backbone to try him again and this time more efficiently. If what we're hearing is right and E.C. murdock will be facing a new trial, then this time we will be ready. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for the latest and sign up for Luna Shark Premium so you won't miss a beat. And speaking of South Carolina being corrupt to its core, today we need to talk about Horry County Police. This is part one of this week's episode. Be sure to come back on Friday to hear part two of the Bialis case where we dive into the investigation files of Randy Bialis second wife's death.

[Mandy Matney]

The old saying goes that corrupt police departments or corrupt policing practices are always the fault of a few bad apples. Which. Fine, we get what people are trying to say there. Not all cops. Well, not all men either, but as you know, it's almost always men. And when it comes to police corruption, it is almost always sworn officers of the law who are bound by oath to protect and serve the community, abide by the law themselves, create, provide and promote safety, who are paid by taxpayers, and who are part of the only profession in the country where they're allowed to legally kill you if they feel threatened. So that's like saying, here, here's a slice of apple pie that I baked for you. There's only a few bad apples in it. Nobody wants to eat a pie like that, Mr. Police Chief, you shouldn't be serving people pie with bad apples in it. And you certainly shouldn't be charging taxpayers this much for those pies. Over the past two years we've told you about the terrible, God awful apple pies coming out of the Horry County Police Department bakery. There's the way police treated Micah Francis in the months leading up to her death, throwing up their hands at her, complaints of her estranged husband's alleged stalking and harassment, which contributed to her feelings of hopelessness. Listeners. Then there's the Scott Spivey shooting investigation which had Horry county police literally helping Scott's killers avoid prosecution because one of them was friends with the deputy chief. And then there's the so called sex scandal of 2025 involving the forced resignations of four officers, the public information officer and the longtime director of public safety and emergency management. Which seems suspicious to us from the start simply because Horry county police were suddenly super upfront about what was happening. Turns out that was just subterfuge to cover up what seems like the agency's ret retaliation for two of the women reporting alleged sexual harassment by the longtime director of public safety and emergency management. Needless to say, the apple pies coming out of Horry county police aren't just zero out of five star pies, but pies that put people in the hospital, make people feel helpless, ruin families lives, result in death, and cost taxpayers unknown amounts of money in avoidable lawsuits because of the so called bad apples. So what kind of dumb and reckless and sadistic bakers continue to bake pies with bad apples? The kind with customers who keep buying them, y'.

[David]

All.

[Mandy Matney]

Which is why being pesky is so important and why all of us need to constantly sound the alarm on guys like this and their disgusting pies and their terrible policing practices until they actually change something. It's why Scott Spivey's sister Jennifer Spivey Foley and cousin Kevin Suggs stood up in front of the seemingly but not surprisingly resistant Horry County Council last week and called council members to create a referendum and put the question to voters whether to keep Horry county police leadership structure the way it is or have Horry County Sheriff's Office absorb the department altogether. Because again, Horry county is the only county in South Carolina that has a countywide police agency. Which, what's the big deal about that, right? As it is, way too many people don't even understand that there's a difference between a sheriff's deputy and a police officer. But if you listen to True Sunlight last week and to episode 122, you'll remember that a state senator pulled a coup in 1959 by fast tracking a bill that wrested law enforcement control in the county away from the sheriff whom he was beefing with, and put it in the hands of a police chief and department that answered to a small group of commissioners. So not a very honest beginning for this police agency. Something was up there. This call for a referendum is important because it's about who calls the shots. Where does the buck stop when it comes to police misconduct with the sheriff's office, it's the sheriff. The buck stops with the sheriff and he is voted in by the people so he is accountable to them as long as they're paying attention and care about whether he's an upstanding man or a crook. By the way, I'm using the male pronoun there because in the history of South Carolina, there has been only one woman elected sheriff. There were two other women who served as sheriffs, but one was appointed in 2010 and the other took over for her husband when he died in 1935. I feel like we need a moment of silence for that statistic. Anyway, with the police department, who actually calls the shots depends on the form of government. Sometimes it's the mayor who calls the shots Sometimes it's a police commissioner. Sometimes it might actually be the police chief who is allowed to do his or her job free of politics. In Horry county, it's the county administrator who calls the shots. The county administrator is the boss of Horry County Police Chief Chris Leonhart. But the county administrator answers to the council. And I should mention, in many South Carolina counties, the county administrator is just a puppet of the most powerful person on council who might be a puppet for who knows who. Because when administrators are not a puppet of the most powerful person on council when the most powerful person on council wants them to be, they run the risk of losing their jobs. I know 10 out of 10 council members would disagree with me on that, but I know what I've seen in this world. More on that after a quick commercial break.

[Liz Farrell]

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[Mandy Matney]

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[Liz Farrell]

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[Mandy Matney]

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[Liz Farrell]

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[Mandy Matney]

So let's talk about some of the bad apple pies that have come out of the oven in Horry county and who the most powerful person on council has been during this time. That would be Council Chairman Johnny Gardner. Remember last year when Jennifer Spivey Foley stood in front of Council pleading with them to advocate for Scott's case to be reopened. Johnny Gardner is the old guy who got annoyed with her and verbally pouted when the packed audience chose to applaud Jennifer after she was done speaking, rather than immediately listening to whatever his opinions on the Scott Spivey case were, which is what he was directing the audience to do. So when Gardner first ran for county council chairman in April 2018, he seemed to come out of nowhere. According to reports, he wasn't a current County Council person at the time he ran against a water park owner, Mark Lazarus, who had been council chairman since 2013. Gardner won the Republican primary by a very slim margin, which caused a recount. In the end, he held onto his victory by 113 votes. On January 1, 2019, he was sworn in as chairman. He ran for re election again in 2022 and again faced Lazarus, who received 37% of the vote this time while Gardner won about 25%. Because no candidate received over 50% of the vote, it went to a runoff race two weeks later. In that race, Gardner won by 260 votes. But it wasn't over Before I tell you why it wasn't over, though. It's wild, isn't it, that Gardner had four years to wow over voters and he not only didn't wow them over enough to out and out win the primary, he came in second to the guy by a lot. Back to that about 1,400 Republican primary voters in Horry county were sent Democratic ballots by accident. The mistake was allegedly caused by a network error on the vendor's end. Horry county was the only county in the state where this happened, though the entire state uses that same vendor for absentee ballots. According to reports, Lazarus appealed the results but eventually accepted his loss. So Johnny Gardner remained Council chairperson. Here's David with Johnny's bio from the Horry county website. David is going to read it exactly as it appears on the county website,

[David]

meaning it starts with Gobbledygook Development Corporation. Recently, he was honored as Coastal Carolina Johnny Gardner is a Horry county native whose family roots in the area date back to the early 1700s. He graduated from Coastal Carolina University. He was the first officer commissioned through the university's Army ROTC program and served honorably as a captain with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. After military service, he earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina and returned home to serve as an assistant solicitor before founding his law firm, which he has managed for over 30 years. Johnny entered electoral politics in 2018 and was re elected in 2022, he is currently serving his 8th year as Horry County Council Chairman. He also serves on the Executive Committee for the Northeastern Strategic alliance and the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic University's Alumni of the Year for his leadership community service

[Liz Farrell]

oh, he's a lawyer, okay, and a former state prosecutor. I mean, well now I understand a flat top haircut a little more, but interesting. Let's see what kind of law he practices. David, will you read his bio from his law firm's website?

[David]

Attorney Johnny Gardner grew up in Horry county, went to high school and college in Horry county, and practiced law in Horry county for over 25 years. He served as a United States Army Captain in the 82nd Airborne before attending law school. He began his career as a Prosecutor in the 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office before opening his law office and has used that experience to defend ordinary people against the overwhelming power of government. Over his career he has continued to study the law and trial techniques and he continues to attend training courses in DUI defense and trial techniques. He has tried cases large and small in virtually every criminal and civil court in the Grand Strand area. Johnny Gardner is an active member of the South Carolina association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the scacdl. He took a three day course for certification in DUI detection and standardized field sobriety testing, which is the same certification that law enforcement officers receive at the Academy. Johnny Gardner cares about you and your case and he is here to help

[Liz Farrell]

the overwhelming power of government. Says the guy who is, well, not only in government but technically has a whole lot of influence over the very same law enforcement making lots of DUI arrest in the county that he serves. Now, I don't know how DUI cases go in other states, but in South Carolina they are a notorious problem because the lawmakers make it damn near impossible to convict someone of a dui. In fact, last week the House sent important DUI legislation back to committee, pretty much dooming the bill for this session. The legislation would have made the law more strictly something South Carolina's good ol boys don't seem to love. Even though South Carolina is number one in the nation for DUI fatalities, which is a designation South Carolina really earned. First, misdemeanor DUIs are only prosecuted by police. Yes, police officers, not prosecutors. We have reached out to the Horry County Police Department to find out who prosecutes their non felony DUI cases and as of this episode we have not heard back from them. But think about that. Police officers are not lawyers and they do not stand a chance against a trained criminal defense attorney. Also, because of this practice, police and DUI defense attorneys are in a position to negotiate and get to know each other. Second, the law is full of lawyer friendly loopholes to exploit, so the system basically becomes a legal form of bribery. While offenders routinely get their DUI first offenses pleaded down to non DUI traffic infractions for whatever the cost, their attorney's retainer is, let's say around 10 to 15 grand. And because they get the charge pleaded down to non DUI traffic infraction, the next time they get a DUI it will once again be a first offense and the process starts all over again. Also third, according to 2024 data from mothers Against Drunk Driving, Horry county ranks as one of the highest counties for DUI arrests and fatalities and one of the lowest for prosecutions. What's interesting though is that the data compiled by MADD in their court monitoring program does not appear to include Horry County Police Department's arrest. You know, the county wide agency. It is not clear why that is, but I am clear on this. Referring to the overwhelming power of the government is not a stellar position for anyone to take when it comes to DUIs, never mind a county chairperson who is supposed to be working for the good of the community. Of course, I'm sure he says that he does work for the good of the community by making sure sober people don't get convicted of DUIs. And I'm sure he says by making police better at their jobs. To which we say lol please. But here's why we're bringing up Gardner's legal specialty as a DUI attorney. It is absolutely relevant when considering who should be in charge of a police department. I am not saying Gardner runs the Horry County Police Department or even has any special interests and how it is run beyond his role as council chairman. Nor am I saying that he has interfered in any way behind the scenes. I am saying that a DUI attorney has an interest in how DUI cases go and the police are a pretty important factor in that. Anyway, we will talk more about Johnny Gardner in the future. A whole lot more as we continue to talk about why exactly the Horry County Police Department needs to be disbanded in and have its jurisdiction handed over to the sheriff.

[Mandy Matney]

Today we need to talk about yet another thing that happened under his watch as Council chairman, something we'd ordinarily call juicy or hot goss or the tea. But it's hard to think that way about this information, knowing all the other awful things that continue to go on at Horry county police. But this one is the stuff of Horry county folklore. Anyone who knows anything about how Horry county police operates behind closed doors seems to know about this one. And it has a name, as all good scandals do. Also, there's a number with the name, which is confusing because a name with a number speaks more to people surviving wrongdoing. Like the Charleston Nine, the Central Park Five. Or like Los 33, the Chilean miners rescued after being trapped for 69 days underground. This is a lot different from that. Like, a lot different. Let's talk about the Green Sea 14, starting with how Horry county leaders found out about the scandal. David. Oh, wait. If you're listening to this with kids in the car, what you're about to hear is rated X. So earmuffs. Pause. Save for later. Okay, go ahead, David. And David, I'm so sorry we're making you read this.

[David]

Horry County Police Department Office of Professional Standards 1700 Airport Road, Conway, SC 29526. Monday, October 26, 2022. Police Chief Joseph Hill. From Inspector Stephen Phillips. Officer Josiah Doyle. Chief Hill, I am in the process of conducting an internal affairs investigation on officer Josiah Doyle as a result of a polygraph that he has recently been administered. Officer Doyle has been employed with our agency on two occasions. His first employment cycle was 10:17, 16 to 2 hours, 14 minutes and 19 seconds, and his second cycle started on 4:1, 2019. As a result of the polygraph examination, Inspector Hemingway and I conducted an in person of immediate attention. Officer Doyle disclosed that during his employment he has had numerous sexual encounters with several females while he has been on duty. He also advised that he has sent numerous text messages with pictures of his genitals to numerous females while in uniform. He also advised that he has had to masturbate numerous times while on duty. He also disclosed that he has driven his personal vehicle under the influence of alcohol while employed as a police officer, with the last one being two weeks prior to our interview, Officer Doyle advised that he was written up at his previous department for similar actions. These admissions come directly from officer Doyle. Our investigation thus far has revealed Officer Doyle's behavior to be contrary to several Horry county policies relating to our conduct unbecoming of an officer section and note to listener policies is misspelled in this letter. His pattern of sexual activity is an extreme concern relating to the continued public trust of the Horry County Police Department. Respectfully, Inspector Stephen Phillips, Horry County Police Department, Office of Professional Standards.

[Mandy Matney]

Did I ever tell y' all about how my Dog wraps himself in a blanket before he falls asleep. And sometimes he's so tired that he doesn't have it in him to do the rigorous work of positioning the blanket in a way that it creates a little cave for him to go under and then make it so the blanket covers his entire body. So he falls asleep with, like, just a little corner of the blanket, a little scrap of fabric covering his midsection. And he's in a chunky phase right now. So it's just really super cute how the blanket is just symbolically covering him and how he needs that little bit of comfort to feel secure enough to fall asleep. Anyway, yeah, I thought we needed a little brain cleansing puppy story after that one because. What do you mean an org county police officer did those things at work? Let's rewind a bit. After we began covering the Scott Spivey case, we had a lot of sources sharing tips about the many unorthodox things that happen at Horry county police. And it wasn't just like, look at what these bad apples are doing. There was a lot of rotten apples are allowed to do these things and keep their jobs or resign with their certifications still intact. And what they did gets swept under the rug, while the good apples get punished more harshly for much less. Green C14 was one of those in crowd stories, the sentiment seems to be that because of who is alleged to be involved, the whole affair, and I swear I'm not trying to make a pun there, Got covered up as best as it could. And the officers who were alleged to be involved were lightly slapped on the wrist for the most part, according to several sources. Now, what is green C14? Right. The best we can tell is this. 14 male officers plus some firefighters had sex with a female officer in the Horry county police Department's Green Sea precinct office while on duty. When I first heard that, I asked the obvious question, which was, are we talking about running a train here? Meaning did all this happen at once, one after the other, while the officers watched? Because again, what do you mean Horry county police officers did these things at work? The answer to those questions, by the way, is no. It appears that the 14 male officers plus some firefighters were part of the woman officers roster and she was having what appears to have been consensual sex with them. And I say up here because I haven't seen any records or lawsuits to suggest otherwise. Also, the woman officer still works for the department.

[Liz Farrell]

Okay, so back to officer Josiah Doyle and the polygraph he took. From what we've been told old Josiah was applying to be a state highway patrolman. Obviously, part of the application included the dreaded polygraph where you essentially have to confess all your sins to a law enforcement officer who basically went to some seminars to learn about lie detecting. Then you have to answer questions related to your potential ethical, legal, financial and moral failings. In other words, it's a bad apple test, at least to some degree. Technically, agencies don't want to hire a law enforcement officer who doesn't know right from wrong or who may be susceptible to blackmail due to his predilections. Now, Josiah went for it, y'.

[Mandy Matney]

All.

[Liz Farrell]

He left it all on the field. He confessed all his alleged sins and some of which caused leadership at South Carolina Highway Patrol to be like, uh, yeah, we need to tell someone back at Horry county about this. Which they did, and the Horry county police looked into it. What's funny and especially interesting about this is that some scandals are too big to fully sweep under the rug. There's artistry to fitting things under the rug, right? According to Horry county police records, the artistry was there, but it seems like they ran out of space. Meaning there is a lot of tiptoeing around certain elements of what allegedly happened with green C14, and it's going to take some time to fully uncover it all. This is just the beginning. More on that after a quick commercial break. We'll be right back. I don't know about you, but I scratch my glasses a lot. Replacing glasses feels like a whole production, so most of us just live with it. You've got to schedule an appointment, pay a fortune, then wait. Zenni Optical fixes all of that. At the eyewear store I used to go to, new frames plus lenses were about $400 through Zinni. My new pair was under $40. Zinni is an online eyewear shop. Prescription glasses, sunglasses, blue light lenses. Starting at under $30. You go to zinni.com, pick a frame, upload your prescription and they ship it to your door. I use them all the time and you should too. If your glasses are overdue for a refresh, now is the time. Go to zenni.com podcast and use podcast 15 for 15% off your first order. The styles sell out, so don't sit on it. That's Z-E-N-N-I.com podcast promo code podcast15. I want to share a quick message from today's sponsor, the ASPCA Pet Health Insurance Program. As you might know, Luna is our adorable husky hound mix. That dog needs a briefing before anything rumbles. And then there's Joe Pesky, our corgi. These two run our house and we would do absolutely anything for them. They are exactly why ASPCA Pet Health Insurance exists. When you enroll in an ASPCA pet health insurance plan, you could get a $25Amazon gift card. It's a little treat for you while you are doing something great for your pet. To Explore coverage, visit aspcapetinsurance.com sunlight that's aspcapetinsurance.Com sunlight Eligibility restrictions apply. Visit asbcapetinsurance.com AmazonTerms for more info. This is a paid advertisement. Insurance is underwritten by either Independence American Insurance Company or United States Fire Insurance Company produced by PTZ Insurance Agency Ltd. The ASPCA is not an insurer and is not engaged in the business of insurance. But let's talk about Josiah Doyle, starting with who is this guy anyway? According to South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy records, Josiah started his career in law enforcement in April 2015 as a guard at Horry County Jail, which means he worked for the Horry County Sheriff's Office, but not as a Class 1 officer. Less than three months after starting there, he went on to the Loris Police Department, where he became a Class 1 officer, meaning he went through training at the academy and got certified. Also, Loris is where Scott Spivey was shot to death, by the way. It's also where Weldon Boyd has his blueberry farm. Josiah stayed at Loris for just over 15 months before moving over to Horry County Police Department. Now hang on, David, can you read the part about Josiah's previous workplaces from that letter?

[David]

Again, Officer Doyle advised that he was written up at his previous department for

[Mandy Matney]

similar actions, so that letter was written in October 2020. At that point, Josiah had worked for Oregon County Police twice. Technically, there's a two month gap in his service between February and April 2019 from when he went to work at a seafood restaurant where he said he was told he'd be made a manager. According to records, he returned to the police department and was reinstated after that didn't happen. There are no other police agencies he worked for during that time, so that would indicate he was written up at Loris, right, for similar actions and got hired by Horry County Police. Nevertheless, how did that slip through the cracks, which P S Again, I have to hand it to Josiah for his honesty in that polygraph because he didn't just tell the polygrapher and subsequent investigators what he allegedly did, but he also essentially Told them they knew or should have known. So the horry county police department doesn't just bake pies with bad apples. They apparently go to the bad apple store to stock up. They know what they're getting and what they're doing. Someone who is written up for sexual misconduct at work fits in fine at horry county police, right? I want to be clear before we go any further, though. We're not calling Josiah a bad person. In fact, all signs point to him being a decent man. Even his confession itself points to a person with a heavy conscience. No person is one thing. For instance, in June 2017, Josiah was named north precinct officer of the month because he responded to a call where a basketball hoop was stolen from a neighborhood. He knew there'd be little chance of recovering that stolen hoop, so he went to walmart and bought a new one for the kids with his own money without telling anyone. His superiors didn't learn about it until the victim contacted the local newspaper. And that's not even the part that's telling to us. The telling part was the number of comments on a Facebook post about this where people who appeared to know Josiah repeatedly spoke about his good heart. So no one here is denying that about him. In fact, Josiah's performance evaluations contained a lot of assessments of exceeds expectations. We're just saying that based on what we're seeing in these records, he's a bad candidate to be a police officer, because we believe being a law enforcement officer requires professionalism. And the things Josiah confessed to in his polygraph were really not professional, to put it lightly.

[Liz Farrell]

Now, before this, there were a few disciplinary actions in Josiah's personnel file that really spoke to a training issue in our opinions. First, in October 2017, Josiah was reprimanded for not completing a case file, which affected the court's ability to indict a suspect. Then, in April 2018, less than two years after Josiah had started with the Horry county police, and less than three years after becoming a certified law enforcement officer, Josiah was written up for an incident that happened with a suicidal man he had in his custody. The suicidal man had a history of barricading himself in his residence. A year earlier, he had a standoff with police that lasted 16 hours. Anyway, Josiah responded to a call for service at a home where the man was. Josiah believes that the man was in possession of a firearm, so he retreated and called for backup. After an hours long standoff with the man that involved SWAT and police negotiators, the man was arrested and Josiah took him to Seacoast Hospital to get checked out. After the inmate was clear, Josiah handcuffed him and escorted him out of the hospital to the police vehicle. But on the way to the vehicle, the inmate made a dash and eventually ran into traffic. I'll have David read from the disciplinary report because its way of wording is fascinating. The man's name is redacted, so David is going to refer to him as the suicidal man simply to remind us of the situation at hand.

[David]

Officer Doyle was carrying a plastic bag and his computer in his left hand. Officer Doyle placed these items on the trunk of his patrol car and took chased after the suicidal man on foot. The suicidal man ran from the parking area of Seacoast Medical center toward the Jud Kuhn Chevrolet dealership, across the vehicle display lot, and toward South Carolina Highway 9. Upon reaching Highway 9, the suicidal man leaped toward the roadway onto and in front of a 2015 Toyota Camry that was traveling east on SC9. Causing damage to the vehicle.

[Mandy Matney]

Not damage to the vehicle. Not a Camry. The guy was handcuffed and running into traffic. Did he. I don't know. Did he survive?

[David]

The inmate received injuries from the collision and was transported to Grand Strand Regional Medical center for examination and later released.

[Mandy Matney]

Ah, good.

[Liz Farrell]

Phew.

[Mandy Matney]

I assume they mentioned the damage first, because I'm sure they had to pay for that, and that's part of why Josiah was being disciplined. But it's still interesting that this is what they mentioned before. The condition of the suicidal man who was in Josiah's care. The disciplinary report noted that this man's history of unstable behavior should have resulted in a greater degree of caution from Josiah, who should have, by training standards, held onto the elbow of the man as he escorted him to the vehicle. The report also noted that supervisors should not have assigned one officer to this man's escort. Josiah, though, was written up for his negligence. It's not clear what discipline he received beyond that, if any. A few months after that incident, Josiah was verbally reprimanded for not following up on a case that was assigned to him. But other than that, his personnel record shows no other issues before the October 2020 polygraph, which, again, was part of his application to work for the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and Highway Patrol. Let's talk about that October 2020 report, though. So, like we said, Green C14 allegedly involved a number of officers plus some firefighters. It was Josiah Doyle's polygraph that allegedly led to the discovery of the whole hornet's nest there. The investigatory report in Josiah's File, though, does not indicate anything about there being a larger situation at hand in the sense of 14 male officers plus firefighters. But it does get messy. Here is David with what the report written by Inspector Phillips says.

[David]

I reviewed the results of the polygraph and found concerns relating to Josiah Doyle's fitness for duty as an Horry county police officer. The concerns I noted were a potential assault on his child.

[Liz Farrell]

Uh, what?

[Mandy Matney]

Okay, we'll get there. Keep reading, David.

[David]

Driving under the influence of alcohol and sexual activity while on duty. I also observed in the polygraph examination that another officer's name was listed.

[Liz Farrell]

Okay, so this is where journalism gets messy. For now, we are not going to name the other officers allegedly involved in green C14 and other incidents that came out in this report. Like we said, this is just the beginning of our green C14 reporting. And we have a lot more to do on this. For now, we'll use aliases. Let's call the other officer whose name was listed. The officer who is believed to be the woman officer who had sex in the Green Sea precinct with the 14 officers, plus some firemen. We're gonna call her Tammy Lynn. Okay, let's hear more from David.

[David]

I interviewed Officer Josiah Doyle at the Conway Airport. Inspector King Hemingway also assisted with the interview. Doyle was questioned about the examination. He had acknowledged during his examination that he did admit to shaking his baby. Officer Doyle advised that after he came home from a night shift that he was completely exhausted. He was trying to get some sleep and his baby would not stop crying. He stated that he tried everything to stop his baby from crying. He said he fed it and changed it, but the baby would not stop crying. Officer Doyle said that he did pick up the baby and did shake it. He advised that there was no damage from the event and that it was a one time occurrence. He said it occurred a few years prior.

[Liz Farrell]

So, yeah, that's not good and not the temperament you want in a law enforcement officer who no doubt will be called upon to arrest a parent in a similar situation. What else, David?

[David]

I inquired about his alcohol use and also driving his vehicle while he was impaired. Officer Doyle advised that he does drink alcohol frequently and did periodically etodically drink alcoholic beverages and operate his personal vehicle. He advised that the last occurrence happened about two weeks prior to this interview. He stated that he, along with his fiance, went to a bar in the North Myrtle beach area and that he had several drinks. He stated that he did drive his vehicle back to his residence when he did not feel that he should have been driving. He advised that he didn't drink while on duty and never operated a police vehicle while intoxicated.

[Liz Farrell]

Again, law enforcement officers should not be breaking laws that they are sworn to uphold. There cannot be a gray area there because the standard then becomes we can get away with it and the non police officer citizens cannot, which can foster feelings of superiority and untouchability. Right. It also contributes to an us versus Them mentality in how officers view the public. What else is in there?

[David]

David I also asked about his sexual activities while on duty. Officer Doyle advised that he was involved in sexual activities frequently while on duty. He advised that prior to working for our agency that he worked for Loris Police Department and had been disciplined for similar actions while on duty with that agency. I asked him about specifics. While working with the Horry County Police Department, Officer Doyle advised that he was employed with our agency twice and that these events took place over both periods of employment. His sexual activities included sending pictures of his penis while on duty and in uniform, masturbating frequently, and meeting with several women while on duty and in uniform for various sexual activities. He also advised that he met with a former South Carolina Highway Patrol officer. Her name is listed, but we are going to call her Jenny sue while they were both on duty to engage in sexual intercourse on several occasions. And also that he met with an Horry county female officer, Tammy Lynn, on one occasion while they were both on duty.

[Liz Farrell]

Again, not much detail there in terms of the location of the meetup with Tammy Lynn or where this occurred, just that they were both on duty. Investigators then spoke with Tammy Lynn. Here is David with that Tammy Lynn

[David]

was asked about sexual activity that occurred while on duty. She advised that her current position is a desk officer position for the West Precinct. That's Green C. She advised that she was involved with another Horry county police officer who we'll call Bubba Lou for approximately two years. She stated that she did have or was engaged in sexual activity with Bubba Lou while she was on her lunch break. She advised she was not on duty during those times. She did advise that she had sexual relations with Bubba Lou while he was on duty. She stated that he met her at her mother's condominium located on North Myrtle beach periodically while he was working and they did engage in sexual activity periodically. She could not recall all of the time frames because the events occurred over a two year period. I also questioned her about her escapade with Officer Doyle.

[Mandy Matney]

Her escapade? My goodness. Okay, sorry. Keep reading David.

[David]

Tammy Lynn advised that they did meet at a scheduled area one time on a Night shift a few years prior when she was on a patrol squad, she advised that she engaged in sex only once. She advised she was not involved in any other sexual activity while on duty.

[Mandy Matney]

So in this interview, Tammy Lynn is denying the entire green C14 plus some firefighters exploit. Again, Josiah didn't accuse Tammy Lynn of hosting a precinct party with other men. But it's his polygraph that we've been told by multiple sources that cracked open this whole thing behind the scenes. Because obviously this was covered up as much as possible. Okay, David.

[David]

During our investigation, we received information of possible sexual activity occurring between Bubba Lou and an officer. Her name is listed, but we're gonna call her Charlotte. That he was training. We interviewed Charlotte at the Conway airport. Charlotte was asked about sexual activity that occurred between herself and her field training officer. She advised that absolutely no sexual activity occurred between them. She did advise that Bubba Lou had been flirtatious periodically and said some things she felt were inappropriate. But she wasn't concerned because she has a line drawn and would never cross that line. I asked her about one specific instance. Charlotte advised she was sitting with Bubba Lou in a vehicle one night and he blurted out, I'd sure like to eat some pudding P right now. Charlotte did not want anything done and did not make a complaint about that to any supervisor or the training division. Charlotte did not change her story about the sexual activity and did not give myself or inspector Hemingway any indicators of deception. She did seem hesitant on wanting to report the actions of Bubba Lou. Her reasoning was that she did not want to to cause any issues or be known as, quote, that officer, end quote.

[Mandy Matney]

I think that says so much about the environment at Horry county police department that a woman training to be a law enforcement officer, a profession that needs more women in it, had to sit there and listen to her training supervisor literally talk about his sexual appetite in that moment and didn't report it because she didn't want to be known as that officer. That means she feared retaliation. So how in the world can you be a professional organization of police officers when that behavior is not only tolerated, the culture punishes those who report it. Is there more, David?

[David]

We then interviewed Bubba Lou at the Conway airport. Bubba Lou was not forthcoming with information in the beginning. I asked him about his two year relationship with Tammy Lynn and his sexual activity on duty. He started by saying he didn't recall anything while he was on the clock. I gave him some details provided by Tammy Lynn. He migrated to quote, it could or may have happened, but he wasn't sure. So I don't know if I was on duty, end quote. By the end of the interview, he did acknowledge that he did have sexual relations with Tammy Lynn at her mother's condo and also did receive oral sex from her one time while he was on duty. Both Inspector Hemingway and I felt he was being deceptive with his answers. As far as Charlotte, Bubba Lou was adamant that he did not have sexual relations with her. Both Inspector Hemingway and I did not feel he was being deceptive with this issue. I did question him about his behavior regarding comments being made to Charlotte. He again couldn't remember anything that he said could have been out of line. He again migrated to I could have said something. I asked him about any specific comments and he could not recall any. I then pinpointed the comment about his wanting to eat some pictures right now, end quote. He didn't remember saying that comment. Both Inspector Hemingway and I felt he was being deceptive with regards to making sexual comments.

[Liz Farrell]

The Horry County Police Department, ladies and gentlemen, will talk more about Bubba Lou and Tammy Lynn and Josiah, who was allowed to resign in a future episode. The police department had a choice to fire Josiah, but they allowed him to leave on his own terms. After that, Josiah went on to work for the Atlantic Beach Police, another local police agency. Josiah's case shows us that Horry County Police has a Pandora's box of rotting apples. So many that they have to make pies with them. So many that they might feel like looking the other way is better than finding out truly how few good apples are left when all the rotten ones are tossed. But again, all of this messiness occurs under someone's leadership. And right now, that leadership seems to have tolerated completely unprofessional behaviors for so long that it has led to what seems to be free for alls. Tammy Lynn still works for Horry County Police after this investigation, Bubba Lou continued to work for Horry county police until April 2021, when he was terminated for misconduct. We will get into that in the future because really guys, there should be no resting until this rotten apple orchard of a police agency is under entirely new management. And speaking of no resting, our favorite Horry county attorney is is at it again, filing a big lawsuit against the Horry county police. On Thursday, April 30, Johnny McCoy will host a press conference announcing a lawsuit against Horry County Police Chief Lionheart and other HCPD officials on behalf of former Captain Danny Furr. Johnny McCoy will broadcast the press conference on his Facebook page and we will share that on our social media channel. So Buckle up Leonhart. And before we go, don't forget to listen to part two of this episode on Friday where we will be diving back into the Bialis case and uncovering the investigation of Randy's second wife, Shawna. So much to unpack there. Until next time, stay tuned, stay pesky and stay in the sunlight. True Sunlight is a Luna Shark production created by me, Mandy Matney Co hosted and reported by journalist Liz Farrell Research support provided by Beth Braden Audio production support provided by Jamie Hoffman and Grace Hills Case file management provided by Kate Thomas the justice system can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. We all want a drink from the same cup of justice and it starts with learning about our legal system. My name is Mandy Matney and together with journalist Liz Farrell and world renowned attorney Eric Bland, we create the perfect trifecta of legal expertise, journalistic integrity and a fire lit to expose the truth wherever it leads. We all encounter a part of our justice systems at one point, so why not get prepared? While being entertained with tales from the newsroom and the courtroom, cup of justice has amazing special guests like Sheryl Crow, Vinny Politan, Emily D. Baker and other experts to share their take on the bright side of the truth. Luna Shark Media invites you to gain knowledge, insight and tools to hold your own or hold public agencies accountable. Search for cup of justice wherever you get your podcast or visit cupofjusticepod.com Learn more about our mission and membership at lunasharkmedia.com Interruptions provided by Luna and Joe Pesky.