SC deputy charged for distributing marijuana, sheriff says

A 22-year-old former Greenville County deputy is facing a charge of distributing marijuana, the State Law Enforcement Division announced Monday.

According to a warrant released by SLED, the suspect provided marijuana to a confidential informant in Easley on Friday. The exact location was blacked out on the warrant.

SLED said Nicholas Craig Ison was arrested and booked into Pickens County Detention Center.

Lt. Ryan Flood of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said Ison had been with the agency for three months and had not completed the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, nor had he started field training.

He was fired Friday for conduct unbecoming, standard of conduct, obedience to laws and violation of the controlled substance policy.

“While this incident is unfortunate, I also recognize that some situations we cannot control in their active state; what we can control is our response, and I am very proud of the swift and thorough response by our Office of Professional Standards in this case, Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said in a statement. “As law enforcement officers, we must uphold the highest standard of professionalism, integrity, and conduct.”

Included in the investigation were the Easley Police Department, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, and agents with the SLED Narcotics Unit.