Shytle faces 10 criminal charges; two civil lawsuits allege similar misconduct involving women under his supervision
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Former South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services officer David Johnathon Shytle Jr. is facing three additional criminal charges after the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced this week that investigators had filed new allegations stemming from its ongoing investigation into his conduct while serving as a probation officer in Beaufort County.
SLED charged Shytle, 48, on July 1, 2026, with three counts of misconduct in office. He was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center, and the case will be prosecuted by the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
According to arrest warrants, the new charges allege Shytle engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a parolee he supervised while acting in his official capacity as a probation officer.
One warrant alleges that between May 2024 and July 2025, Shytle exchanged inappropriate text messages and images with the parolee and engaged in sexual intercourse with the individual.
Investigators allege the conduct violated his duty to faithfully perform the responsibilities of his office and maintain the public’s trust.
The second charge alleges Shytle sent inappropriate text messages to the same parolee between July and August 2024 while serving as the individual’s supervising probation officer. The third charge alleges he continued those communications between September 2024 and February 2025.
The latest charges bring the total number of criminal charges filed against Shytle by SLED to 10.
The new charges come as Shytle continues to face seven criminal charges filed in August 2025, including two counts of second-degree assault and battery and five counts of misconduct in office. According to SLED, those charges stem from allegations involving inappropriate conduct with women under his supervision while serving as a probation officer.
Court records show all seven of those earlier charges remain pending in Beaufort County General Sessions. A Beaufort County grand jury returned indictments in January 2026, and the cases have continued through the pretrial process. No dispositions have been entered.
In addition to the criminal cases, Shytle and the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services are defendants in two civil lawsuits filed in Beaufort County by women identified in court records as “Jane Doe” and “Jane Doe #2.”
The first lawsuit, filed in 2025, alleges Shytle sexually assaulted and harassed a woman while she was on probation under his supervision. According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges Shytle used his authority over her probation, including her request to transfer supervision to Texas, to coerce sexual contact and sexual communications. The lawsuit also alleges he used his position to pressure her into complying with his demands while she faced the possibility of imprisonment for violating probation.
A second lawsuit, filed in 2026 by a plaintiff identified as “Jane Doe #2,” alleges Shytle sexually harassed and assaulted another woman while she was on probation in Beaufort County. The complaint alleges Shytle made sexual comments, unwanted advances and inappropriate physical contact while exercising authority over the plaintiff as her probation officer.
Both lawsuits also allege the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services knew or should have known of Shytle’s alleged conduct and failed to properly supervise him or protect women under his supervision. Shytle and the department have denied the allegations in court filings, and both civil cases remain pending.
As with all criminal cases, the charges against Shytle are allegations. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
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.
Related link