Police sergeant paid for home repairs with seized THC vapes, documents say

DARLINGTON, S.C. (WBTV/Gray News) - A former police sergeant was arrested after he allegedly used seized THC vapes as payment for home repairs.

According to court documents, Mark Anthony Hayes Jr. allegedly seized 788 vapes suspected of containing THC from a smoke shop in Darlington, South Carolina, on Oct. 13, 2024.

Almost two months after he seized the vapes, an anonymous police informant was brought to Hayes’ house to fix his water heater on Dec. 4, 2024, according to an affidavit.

Once the water heater was fixed, Hayes allegedly drove the informant to the Darlington Police Department after 10 p.m. and gave them three cases of vapes matching those seized on Oct. 13, 2024. The three cases had a street value of more than $2,000.

Hayes was arrested after the Darlington Police Department asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to investigate.

Hayes was charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent and misconduct in office. He was booked into the Darlington County jail but has since been released.

Hayes worked with the Darlington Police Department from 2011-2014, and again from 2018 until his arrest. He also worked for the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office and the Florence County Detention Center.

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