Sheriff explains why investigative records remain unavailable as questions continue over candidate’s presence at scene
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner says Republican sheriff candidate Doug Seifert was cleared of any Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office policy violations related to the Sept. 28, 2025, incident involving former deputy William “Billy” Squires, while explaining why investigative records connected to the case remain unavailable to the public.
Tanner made the comments during an interview with The Island News following the publication’s recent story about a political video that resurfaced footage from the incident commonly referred to online as “Squiresgate.” The video, which circulated through the anonymous Facebook page Beaufort County Citizens for Accountability, questioned Seifert’s presence at the scene and renewed public discussion about the incident less than two weeks before the June 9 Republican primary for Beaufort County sheriff.
The video included cellphone footage showing Seifert arriving at the scene while several teenagers were being detained on the ground. Questions raised online largely centered on why Seifert was there, how he became involved and whether his actions that day were reviewed by investigators.
According to Tanner, they were.
“When that incident occurred, our Office of Professional Responsibility did an internal affairs investigation on the incident. Everyone was interviewed, to include Doug,” Tanner said.
Asked specifically about Seifert’s involvement, Tanner said the internal investigation found no policy violations.
“Based on the internal affairs investigation, Doug Seifert was not in violation of any policies,” Tanner said.
Tanner also said he believes the timing and distribution of the video were politically motivated and suggested it likely originated with one of Seifert’s opponents or their supporters, though he acknowledged he does not know who created it.
“If it weren’t someone running in an election … what benefit would the video be if it weren’t someone trying to create some type of damage against Seifert?” Tanner said.
The sheriff’s comments come as voters prepare to choose between Seifert, Joey “JoJo” Woodward Jr. in the June 9 Republican primary. The winner will advance to the November general election and compete to succeed Tanner, who is retiring at the end of his current term.
Woodward denied any involvement in the creation or distribution of the video.
“Neither I, my campaign, nor anyone acting on my behalf had any involvement in the creation, distribution, or promotion of the Beaufort County Citizens for Accountability page or the video it shared,” Woodward said in a statement previously provided to The Island News. “To this day I do not know who created it or posted it.”
Tanner said the Sheriff’s Office conducted its own administrative investigation while the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division conducted a separate criminal investigation into the incident.
The sheriff explained that the two investigations operate under different standards. In a criminal investigation, individuals retain their Miranda rights and may choose whether to speak with investigators. In an internal affairs investigation, employees are compelled to answer questions under what is known as a Garrity warning.
Because of that distinction, Tanner said information gathered during the Sheriff’s Office investigation cannot be released while the criminal case remains unresolved.
“So because SLED is not releasing the criminal investigation pending adjudication in court, we cannot release the internal affairs investigation because it has not been adjudicated yet,” Tanner said.
The Island News previously submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division seeking all records related to the investigation. The agency released copies of the arrest warrants, which were already public records, but did not release the investigative file because the criminal case has not yet been adjudicated.
Tanner said both the criminal investigation conducted by SLED and the internal affairs investigation conducted by the Sheriff’s Office were thorough, but neither investigative file can be publicly released while the criminal case remains unresolved.
The comments largely mirror statements previously made by Seifert, who has acknowledged being present at the scene but has declined to discuss details of the incident while litigation remains pending.
In a public statement released after the political video began circulating, Seifert said he cooperated with both the SLED investigation and the Sheriff’s Office internal investigation and was cleared of wrongdoing. He also stated that he is not the subject of any criminal charges or civil litigation related to the incident.
Tanner cautioned that public discussion of the underlying facts remains limited because both criminal and civil cases connected to the incident are still pending.
The incident stems from a confrontation in a Hilton Head Island neighborhood on Sept. 28, 2025. Cellphone videos recorded by the teenagers involved showed Squires, then an off-duty Beaufort County deputy, holding several teenage boys at gunpoint while other armed individuals at the scene assisted in detaining them.
The incident sparked widespread public criticism and ultimately led to criminal charges against Squires and another man, Brian Henry Stahlheber, following the SLED investigation. Multiple civil lawsuits related to the incident also remain pending.
Because neither the SLED investigative file nor the Sheriff’s Office internal affairs file has been released, many questions surrounding the incident remain unanswered publicly.
“There is a criminal investigation done by SLED, and a very thorough one, and there’s a very thorough internal affairs investigation that was done by us,” Tanner said. “The problem for you is you can’t get either one.”
Tanner also said that while many questions continue to circulate online regarding Seifert’s presence at the scene, those questions cannot be fully answered publicly until the pending criminal and civil cases are resolved and investigative records become available.
For now, Tanner said the ongoing criminal and civil litigation prevents further public discussion of many aspects of the case, leaving the courts to ultimately determine what additional information may become public in the future.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.