SHERIFF WEAVER NAMED 2026 SHERIFF OF THE YEAR

Sheriff Carter Weaver has been selected as the South Carolina Sheriff's Association 2026 Sheriff of the Year.

Weaver was nominated by Sheriff Phillip Thompson of Horry County, who said of his colleague: “I have followed Carter throughout his career, from SLED to Sheriff. I am so proud that he has matured into a progressive leader that has brought the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office far beyond what we ever imagined.” He is hardly alone in the sentiment. Georgetown County Emergency Manager Brandon Ellis called Weaver “a beacon of hope and a true partner of public safety who is always a team player when it comes to tough choices in tough times.” Midway Fire Chief Brent McClellan said Weaver is “one of the best, spearheading collaboration among county agencies to the benefit of the residents we all serve.” Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson said, “This is so well deserved and I’m just glad the rest of the state has caught up with the knowledge I’ve had for years of his excellence.”

Born and raised in Georgetown County, Sheriff Carter Weaver has nearly four decades of law enforcement experience. He began his law enforcement career in 1986 with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) where he worked in various roles including the bloodhound tracking team, SWAT, outlaw motorcycle gangs, fugitive apprehension, and criminal investigations. Sheriff Weaver joined the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office in 2001 as the Assistant Sheriff. His duties included the management of enforcement, corrections, judicial, and communications units sworn to protect the citizens of Georgetown County. Weaver was elected as the Sheriff of Georgetown County in February of 2020. Sheriff Weaver earned a bachelor’s degree from Coastal Carolina University, and a Juris Doctor degree from Charleston School of Law. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and serves as Commissioner for the National Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

Sheriff Weaver has introduced an ambitious series of initiatives with the overarching goal of strongly serving his community and caring for his staff. For example, the T3 Initiative (Truth with Transparency Builds Trust) was launched in response to public concern following the George Floyd case. A group composed of Georgetown County citizens meets quarterly to review every use of force incident involving the Sheriff’s Office. Residents are also updated through Community Listening Sessions, the Sheriff’s App and an online Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office Annual Report, all instituted by Sheriff Weaver.
Sheriff Weaver also pushed to reduce violent crime and drug trafficking in Georgetown County through local, state and federal partnerships. In 2025, the agency had a 100% clearance rate for murder and kidnapping cases, and a violent crime clearance rate of 74.8% compared to a state average of 38.8%. In the last six months alone, the agency’s Narcotics Unit seized approximately 3 kilos of Fentanyl, 500 grams of cocaine, 680 grams of meth, and 205 grams of crack, made 51 drug-related arrests, and removed weapons used in the trade.

The Georgetown County Sheriff’s Reentry Program, which offers inmates GED classes, job training and life skills workshops, had foundered during COVID. Sheriff Weaver relaunched Reentry 2.0 and it has now served more than 250 inmates with an enhanced list of in-demand journeyman certifications and coordinated services.
Sheriff Weaver is deeply concerned about employee pay and the agency’s outdated buildings and equipment. He successfully lobbies County Council annually for increases in pay and benefits for all employees in Enforcement, Corrections, and 911, and has almost doubled deputy pay. He also worked closely with County Council for the construction of a new Detention Center. The state-of-the-art campus will also feature a law enforcement training center, a Reentry Program building, and a 911 Telecommunications Center. Construction of the new Detention Center is well underway and it is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2027.
The Sheriffs’ Association’s Sheriff of the Year Award will be presented to Sheriff Weaver at the Association’s Annual Conference, which will be held in Myrtle Beach from July 12 - 15. Moseley Architects, a full-service design firm, sponsors the annual award.

“We are extremely proud of Sheriff Weaver,” said Todd Davis, vice president for Moseley. “He has worked tirelessly to protect and serve the citizens of Georgetown County and through his leadership and commitment he continues to move the county forward.”