The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division charged a former Oconee County narcotics agent Friday with misconduct in office after an investigation found he exchanged sexually explicit text messages, photographs and videos with a confidential informant he was assigned to handle.
Derek Pace, 46, of Westminster, was booked into the Oconee County Detention Center on April 17, 2026. The charge stems from conduct that allegedly occurred between May 11, 2023 and December 31, 2023, while Pace was acting in his official capacity as a law enforcement officer for the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Pace knowingly and willfully exchanged sexually explicit text messages, photographs and videos with a registered Oconee County Sheriff’s Office confidential informant of whom he was the assigned handler. The warrant states that Pace neglected to properly and faithfully discharge the duties he swore to uphold while serving as a public official.
The SLED investigation was requested by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. The affidavit was sworn by SLED agent James M. Collins, and the arrest warrant was issued April 16, 2026 by Walhalla Magistrate Blake A. Norton.
The case will be prosecuted by the 10th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
Source:Press Release and Warrants Here.
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