Howard Knapp, South Carolina's former elections director who was fired in September, has been arrested on charges that include misconduct in office and embezzlement of public funds.
Knapp was booked into the Richland County jail Friday morning, according to jail records.
Richland County court records indicate Knapp, 40, faces 11 charges that include using his official position or office for financial gain, embezzlement of public funds valued at less than $10,000, misconduct in office and accessory after the fact to a felony.
A bond hearing has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday.
Paige Salonich, the former deputy executive director of the State Election Commission, was also arrested Friday morning and is being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, jail records show. The offense listed says wiretap/intercept/use any wire communication.
Knapp was fired Sept. 17 by the State Election Commission in a 3-2 vote.
Jenny Wooten, the Commission's chief of staff, is now serving as interim director.
At a later Oct. 15 meeting, Commission Chairman Dennis Shedd said Knapp was removed for "inappropriate conduct." That included, he said, misusing agency money for personal reasons and "conspiring" with other management-level staff to "falsify documentation" that the commission was seeking and "conspiring" with those employees to lie that they had falsified documentation.
Shedd also faulted Knapp's leadership style of creating a "toxic and perhaps a hostile work environment" at the State Election Commission. Shedd also questioned a contract for new voting machines that he said cost $4 million more than the expected $28 million price tag.
Salonich, 41, who Shedd described as a "very close friend" of Knapp's, was fired days after Knapp on Sept. 22 following an internal investigation.
Her termination letter said she "failed to maintain a satisfactory or harmonious working relationship" with employees and supervisors, and raised her voice at leadership, used profanity and made disruptive remarks.
The letter also said that on Sept. 17 she was recorded on agency security cameras placing an unauthorized device in the State Election Commission training room, a violation of state and agency policy.
A third State Election Commission employee, former spokesman John Michael Catalano, resigned on Oct. 10.
“We're finding out new stuff that old management did,” Shedd told reporters Oct. 15.
Knapp's firing occurred as the agency continues its work with the U.S. Department of Justice on the release of the state's voter rolls that includes driver's license and Social Security numbers.
The DOJ request is part of a multi-state ask for voter and election information that has raised questions about what specifically the information will be used for and how the sensitive data will be stored.
Talks between the DOJ and the State Election Commission are still continuing.
Shedd said the DOJ matter was not a factor in Knapp's firing.
Knapp has been under investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division. The state Inspector's General's Office is also looking into the agency's conduct under Knapp.
Court records Friday show Knapp's arresting officer was John Bancroft, a special agent with SLED.
A SLED spokesperson confirmed last month that SLED was requested by the state Attorney General's Office on March 29, 2024, to investigate alleged misconduct involving Knapp.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
