Law enforcement officers sworn to protect the public are now the ones facing justice. Chester County Sheriff George Alexander “Big A” Underwood, 55, of Chester; Lieutenant Johnny Ricardo Neal, Jr., 39, of Lancaster; and Chief Deputy Robert Andrew Sprouse, 44, of Chester, were indicted on eight federal counts stemming from a violent, unlawful arrest and a coordinated cover-up designed to bury the truth. The charges, announced by U.S. Attorney Sherri A. Lydon, expose a disturbing chain of abuse, retaliation, and deception at the highest levels of the Chester County Sheriff’s Office.
At the heart of the indictment is K.S., a Fort Lawn resident who did nothing more than film law enforcement activity from his yard after a car accident and fleeing suspect call on November 20, 2018. Sheriff Underwood ordered him to retreat to his porch, then moments later lunged at him, grabbed him by the torso, and demanded his cellphone. No probable cause was given. Underwood attempted to justify an arrest, and Neal placed K.S. in handcuffs. As Neal escorted him to a transport vehicle, he knocked K.S. to the ground—cuffed and defenseless—causing head and elbow injuries. K.S. was held for three nights on a fabricated ‘hold,’ despite having committed no crime.
When Underwood and Sprouse learned K.S. had live-streamed the incident, their response wasn’t accountability—it was a cover-up. They falsely claimed a radio was lost during the arrest, then orchestrated a sham search warrant through subordinates to raid K.S.’s home. Sprouse entered without legal authority, directed a deputy to ring a phone to identify K.S.’s device, and seized the cellphone without consent. He handed it over to evidence staff—then shifted blame onto them through falsified reports.
In January 2019, the lies multiplied. Sprouse and Neal drafted an incident report riddled with false statements. Underwood and Sprouse signed a disciplinary report falsely accusing the evidence deputy of misconduct. Worse, Underwood and Sprouse personally lied to FBI agents investigating the incident—knowingly obstructing a federal inquiry. Their actions weren’t just misconduct; they were a direct assault on the integrity of justice itself.
The indictment charges Underwood, Neal, and Sprouse with conspiracy to cover up the arrest and misuse of force—carrying up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Count Two accuses Underwood of seizing K.S. without probable cause, punishable by up to one year. Count Three charges Neal with violating K.S.’s rights by using excessive force on a restrained man—exposing him to a maximum 10-year sentence. Count Four alleges Underwood and Sprouse tampered with the cellphone to destroy or conceal evidence in a federal investigation.
“Those who swear to protect and uphold the law, while at the same time using their positions of power to hide their own violations of the law, will be held accountable,” U.S. Attorney Lydon declared. The American justice system, she reminded, depends on fairness and equal treatment. When those in uniform betray that trust, the fall is harder—and the reckoning, federal.
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Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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