CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Shane Stuart, the former Chester County supervisor, pleaded guilty Friday to charges related to a criminal conspiracy to traffic drugs while he was head of the county.
Stuart was in his second term as Chester County’s supervisor when he was indicted in 2020 for trafficking and distributing meth. On Friday, authorities said he was a part of a significant drug trafficking organization and used his government job to cover up his crimes.
The judge Friday accepted the negotiated plea deal. Stuart pleaded guilty to the charges of:
- Trafficking meth
- Criminal conspiracy
- Distributing meth
- Misconduct in office
As part of a deal Stuart struck with prosecutors, he could serve less time in prison if he cooperates against his co-defendants. Through the deal, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for one of the four charges. He will be sentenced on the other charges depending on his willingness to cooperate with authorities.
"So that we make sure that Mr. Stuart lives up to his representation that he will cooperate, we sentenced him on one charge today -- one of the lesser charges -- so that he goes to [South Carolina Department of Corrections] and begins his sentence, which needs to happen," Creighton Waters with the South Carolina Attorney General's Office said, "He can't back out of the plea. The only thing that remains to be determined is what it's going to be."
Sheriff Max Dorsey said the investigation into Stuart started with a tip coming in 2020, as well as a video showing Stuart selling meth out of his home. Detectives later learned Stuart was using his county car to transport the drug in large quantities to neighboring Lancaster and York counties.
“The reason why they used the county vehicle is obvious," Waters said. "Because what law enforcement officer is going to stop the county supervisor in his county vehicle?”
During a search at Stuart's home, detectives recovered five guns, digital scales and meth.
“This was a significant drug trafficking organization operating in and around Chester County," Sheriff Dorsey said.
Stuart also planned a scheme with other individuals to steal catalytic converters from county vehicles, prosecutors said, promising his alleged coconspirators that, as county supervisor, he could destroy video evidence of their crimes. Stuart was stopped by law enforcement before this scheme could take place.
Prosecutors believe Stuart’s involvement in drugs started when he met a boyfriend, Ace Hembree, through a dating site, later hiring him to work as a dog catcher for animal control. Prosecutors believe it was Hembree who pulled Stuart into the world of meth and trafficking. Together, authorities said they trafficked drugs in Chester County and surrounding areas.
Stuart later helped authorities arrest Hembree by staging a drug buy as investigators watched and listened in. On Friday, he agreed to continue cooperating against co-defendants in turn for a lighter sentence.
“At the end of the day, we feel he got mixed up with the wrong person," Stuart's attorney Ed Martin said, "As you heard, he met someone online on a dating website and next thing you know, he’s involved in a world that he was never a part of.”
Stuart will be sentenced on the other charges at a later date. He could face up to 25 years in prison.
When Stuart was arrested in Sept. 2020, Sheriff Max Dorsey said, "A significant portion of the drug addicts, the meth addicts in Chester County were being supplied by this particular conspiracy."
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.