Anonymous political video targets candidate for sheriff ahead of June 9 Republican primary
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
An internet video is raising questions about the role a candidate for Beaufort County Sheriff played in a September 2025 incident in which a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office [BCSO] deputy, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, held a group of teenage boys at gunpoint.
A politically charged video targeting former BCSO investigator Doug Seifert, a Republican candidate for Beaufort County Sheriff, is circulating on social media ahead of the June 9 primary, reigniting public discussion surrounding the Sept. 28, 2025, incident in which former deputy William “Billy” Squires held several teenage boys at gunpoint after accusing them of vandalizing property in his Hilton Head Island neighborhood and possessing a weapon.
The video was shared by an anonymous Facebook page called “Beaufort County Citizens for Accountability,” though it remains unclear who created the edited political video itself.
Multiple cellphone videos from the incident were initially published to social media by family members or representatives of the teenagers involved. The videos were filmed by the teens during the confrontation.
The footage featured in the political video appears to have originated from cellphone footage filmed by the older brother of one of the younger boys after he came outside in response to a distressed phone call from his brother.
In the footage, Seifert can be seen stepping out of what appears to be a white SUV wearing khaki shorts, a light blue polo-style shirt and sandals.
At the time Seifert arrived, no on-duty law enforcement officers appear to have yet arrived on scene. Instead, the footage shows Squires, several unidentified neighbors, and Brian Henry Stahlheber, who was later criminally charged in the case.
Seifert was still employed by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office at the time of the incident, where he held the rank of master sergeant before being promoted to lieutenant in March 2026. According to Seifert, he held the position for 10 days before resigning from the department in order to file to run for sheriff.
Questions surrounding the video’s origins
While the anonymous Facebook page “Beaufort County Citizens for Accountability” shared the video that has spread widely online, the group told The Island News it did not create the edited video itself.
“We did not create it,” the account told The Island News in a Facebook Messenger conversation.
The group also stated that “whoever created it, created it with the purpose to be shared” and added that they were not seeking public credit for posting it.
“We do not seek credit, we seek answers and holding people in or running for public office accountable,” the account wrote.
The group declined to identify itself, stating it wished to “remain anonymous to protect our identities.”
The account additionally pointed to Seifert’s own public statement confirming he was present at the scene and questioned, “why?”
What the video alleges
Throughout the roughly two-minute video, a narrator directly questions Seifert’s ethics, leadership and accountability while making a series of allegations regarding his presence at the scene.
“Doug Seifert was not on duty. He was not on official business,” the narrator states in the video. “He drove to that scene after leaving Hudson’s and drinking with Squires before this incident.”
The video further alleges Seifert went to the scene “not to protect the kids” but instead “to protect the deputy with the gun.”
Additional claims in the video accuse Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office leadership of failing to discipline Seifert and describe his candidacy as “a coronation.”
The video also references Seifert’s promotion by Sheriff P.J. Tanner shortly before launching his campaign, suggesting the timing reflected favoritism within the department.
The video also broadens its criticism beyond the Squires case, accusing unnamed individuals connected to the sheriff’s race of “pressuring civic organizations,” “calling members of our state legislature,” and “using official government resources to campaign on taxpayer time.”
No evidence supporting those allegations is presented within the video itself.
Background on the Billy Squires case
The Squires case garnered statewide and national attention after multiple cellphone videos spread online showing Squires, who was off duty at the time, pointing his service weapon at several teenage boys in a Hilton Head neighborhood while wearing shorts and a tactical vest. At one point in the footage, Squires can be heard yelling at the teenagers to get on the ground and threatening to shoot them.
The three younger teenagers were initially walking along Squiresgate Road in the neighborhood alone, but as the situation escalated, one of the boys called his older brother crying, prompting him to come to the scene from his nearby home and ultimately becoming caught up in the confrontation himself.
According to arrest warrants and previous reporting on the case, Stahlheber initially confronted the teenagers while driving an ATV through the neighborhood. Video from the incident appears to show an alcoholic beverage visible on the vehicle as Stahlheber questioned the boys about where they were from and what they were doing in the neighborhood.
Investigators later alleged Stahlheber contacted Squires, who lived in the neighborhood.
Video from the confrontation appears to show Squires initially arriving in a white pickup truck without his tactical vest or service weapon and telling the boys they needed to leave the area.
According to investigators, Squires later returned to his home before coming back to the scene wearing his duty vest and carrying his service weapon, which he pointed at the teenagers during the confrontation.
Squires was fired by Sheriff Tanner on Oct. 3, 2025, following an internal investigation into the incident. Tanner later stated the longtime deputy violated multiple department policies, including consuming alcohol while armed, unlawfully detaining teenagers and failing to activate his body camera.
Following the Sept. 28, 2025, incident, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division [SLED] conducted a criminal investigation and submitted its findings to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, which later moved forward with criminal charges against Squires and Stahlheber.
At the same time, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office conducted its own internal investigation into the incident and the conduct of those involved.
It was during those investigations, both the SLED investigation and the internal Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office review, that Seifert has stated he was asked to provide statements regarding what he witnessed at the scene.
SLED ultimately charged Squires with four counts of pointing and presenting a firearm and one count of breach of peace, aggravated in nature. Stahlheber was charged with breach of peace, aggravated in nature, and making a false complaint to law enforcement.
No other individuals present at the scene have been publicly identified or charged in connection with the incident, including individuals seen assisting in restraining the teenagers.
Seifert has not been charged with any crime in connection with the incident, and SLED has not publicly identified him as a target of its investigation.
As of publication, no trial date had been publicly announced in the Squires case.
What the cellphone video shows
In the footage, the older brother can be heard repeatedly telling those restraining him that he had just come from his home after his younger brother called him for help. At one point, while being held on the ground by a civilian, he yells to his mother that those at the scene believed he had a gun, before another voice responds, “not you, the other three.”
The video also appears to show a civilian restraining the older brother while telling him he did not fully know what was happening and had only come outside after seeing the confrontation unfold.
At another point in the footage, Squires can be heard telling the boys “you’re done,” while aggressively yelling at a woman, who appears to be the mother of both the older brother filming and one of the younger teenagers, to “walk away.”
Shortly afterward, Seifert arrives at the scene in what appears to be a white SUV while several unidentified adults were still assisting in restraining the teenagers on the ground.
In the footage, Seifert approaches Squires and asks what happened. Squires and Stahlheber can then be heard alleging that the boys flashed a gun and attacked him before Squires and Seifert walk briefly out of frame.
Meanwhile, the older brother continues asking the civilian restraining him to let him go, repeatedly stating that he had done nothing wrong and had only come outside after his younger brother called him for help.
Later in the footage, Seifert reappears while speaking on a phone and tells the older brother to “stop” several times as the teenager continues struggling against the civilian holding him down. The teenager responds, “What the … you mean stop? I just came from my house.”
Questions surrounding Seifert’s role at the scene
The footage has prompted broader public questions surrounding Seifert’s role after arriving at the scene while off duty.
Critics online have questioned why Seifert responded to the scene in a personal vehicle while off duty, what actions he took after arriving, whether he directed armed civilians to step back from the teenagers and whether he attempted to de-escalate the situation.
Others have questioned why Seifert has not faced criminal charges or disciplinary action despite his presence during the confrontation.
The discussion has also renewed scrutiny among some residents over whether the standards applied to Squires were applied equally to everyone present at the scene.
Seifert responds
Seifert’s statement came after the video spread online and sparked widespread social media discussion about his presence at the Squires scene.
In response to the recently circulating political video, Seifert issued a public statement Wednesday on his campaign Facebook page, calling the accusations politically motivated.
“I am aware of a video circulating around the internet showing me present at the Squiresgate incident,” Seifert wrote.
“The rumors and speculation surrounding this matter are desperate attempts to tarnish my reputation by supporters of my opponent and anonymous Facebook pages.”
Seifert stated that he was at home with his family when his wife received a phone call that prompted him to leave his home “to render aide if needed.”
According to Seifert, he notified a shift supervisor and remained at the scene. He also said he later provided statements to Internal Affairs investigators and investigators with SLED.
“Despite my opponent supporters and anonymous posters trying to condemn me via social media, I am not the subject of any criminal matter,” Seifert wrote. “I am not a party to any civil suit. I did not violate any BCSO policies.”
He additionally stated that he condemns the actions of Squires but declined to discuss the matter further because of pending criminal and civil litigation.
The Island News also reached out to Seifert seeking additional comment regarding the video and ongoing public discussion about the incident.
“I refer you to my Facebook comment on this matter,” Seifert wrote in a Facebook Messenger response.
Social media reaction
Seifert’s statement drew both support and criticism online.
Many commenters defended Seifert and described the circulating video as politically motivated.
“Your record is impeccable,” one commenter wrote, while another called Seifert “the man with integrity, the one to be trusted.”
Others, however, questioned why Seifert responded to the scene while allegedly off duty and whether additional details about the incident still remain unanswered.
“Who called your wife and why did they feel like YOU were the appropriate point of contact for them in this situation?” one commenter wrote. “The math isn’t mathing, and we the people have questions and deserve answers.”
The anonymous Facebook page that shared the video also responded directly beneath Seifert’s statement, writing in part, “you were there so we have questions that you will not answer.”
Other commenters questioned whether anonymous political pages criticizing sheriff’s candidates were connected to campaigns or campaign supporters, though no evidence publicly linking Seifert, Woodward or their campaigns to the pages was presented in the discussion.
Political fallout ahead of the primary
The circulation of the video comes as the June 9 Republican primary for Beaufort County Sheriff nears, with public trust, transparency and accountability continuing to emerge as central issues in the race.
Seifert has worked in law enforcement since 2006 and has highlighted his progression through multiple supervisory ranks within the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, along with leadership and incident command training, throughout his campaign.
Seifert has also received endorsements from numerous elected officials and public figures across the Lowcountry, including current Sheriff Tanner, who announced earlier this year that he will retire in January 2027 after serving nearly three decades as Beaufort County sheriff.
In endorsing Seifert earlier this year, Tanner described him as the “perfect choice” to lead the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office moving forward in comments previously reported by The Island Packet.
“No one can out-work him. You don’t find that in everyone today,” Tanner said.
Tanner’s endorsement has become a focal point in the sheriff’s race, particularly as renewed scrutiny surrounding the Squires case and Seifert’s presence at the scene continues to circulate online.
14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone told The Island News he has not endorsed anyone in the sheriff’s race.
“I haven’t endorsed anyone in the Sheriff’s race,” Stone said. “The Squires case is pending and therefore it would be improper for me to comment on it.”
The Island News also reached out to Seifert’s Republican primary opponent, JoJo Woodward, for comment regarding the circulating video and the broader public discussion surrounding the case.
“I would not want to comment on the video or Doug’s involvement as it’s still a pending investigation and Squires has not gone to trial yet,” Woodward said.
“We want to stay focused on the deputies and solving crimes in the community and doing what is best there.”
Sheriff Tanner has not responded to requests for comment.
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.