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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office is investigating Sen. Deon Tedder, D-Charleston, more than two years after an incident report lists him as the suspect in a rape.

The Attorney General’s Office lifted a key redaction in that incident report Friday which identified the sitting senator as the suspect.

WIS Investigates received the heavily-redacted report in November detailing a sex crime that happened in Columbia. Tedder’s name was revealed as the suspect on the report only after Gray Television’s attorneys put pressure on the office for months.

The allegations were initially reported in November by an online news outlet.

Two copies of the incident report -- one with suspect information redacted and another without... — Two copies of the incident report -- one with suspect information redacted and another without it. WIS Investigates received a copy of the incident report with Sen. Deon Tedder's name on it on June 7, 2024.(WIS-TV)

The freshman senator, who filed for re-election in March, denies the allegations in the incident report.

The Attorney General’s Office said if public records related to the sex crime investigation were released it would interfere with current law enforcement proceedings – yet the office has not explained how these records would impact their investigation.

Tedder is an attorney that represents S.C. Senate District 42. He was voted into office in a special election on March 12, 2023.

Incident report regarding D... by maggie.brown

According to the incident report, the woman said the rape happened in April 2022 at 1105 Shop Road in Columbia, which Richland County property records show is The Row at Stadium off-campus townhomes.

The Columbia Police Department report lists the incident type as criminal sexual conduct in the second-degree, which according to South Carolina law is when the “actor uses aggravated coercion to accomplish sexual battery.”

The report’s narrative portion, written by a Columbia police officer, says, “I was dispatched to the incident location in response to a CSC [criminal sexual conduct]. I made contact with the victim who stated she was touched inappropriately through the clothes and later [redacted]. The victim did not consent to the sexual act.”

Four additional pages of the incident report remain redacted. Three of the redacted pages are labeled “Additional Narrative.”

Gray’s attorneys argue that redacting the full narrative violates South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. The act increases transparency and is in place so the public can stay informed about how their government is functioning. While police departments can, and often do, redact incident reports, they aren’t required to.

Timeline of records requests

WIS Investigates initially requested the incident report from CPD on Nov. 20 and received it the next day with its redactions.

When WIS Investigates asked for a reason for the redactions, the city attorney’s office said: “Given the nature of the allegations, in fairness to both the victim and the alleged subject we are declining to provide the narrative under both the law enforcement and privacy exemptions.”

The Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office confirmed the case was sent to the Attorney General’s Office to avoid the appearance of any impropriety because Tedder previously worked there.

The city attorney’s office also said in an email that the case was being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office, which prevented them from disclosing any more information under FOIA. South Carolina Law Enforcement confirmed they are also assisting CPD with the investigation.

WIS Investigates submitted a separate FOIA request to the Attorney General’s Office on Jan. 26 asking for all arrest warrants, affidavits, pictures and video recordings related to the allegations against Tedder, among other records.

AG's Office: Confirmati... by maggie.brown

The Attorney General’s Office provided WIS Investigates with the same copy of the incident report with identical redactions the city of Columbia gave.

The office cited several reasons for withholding documents and redacting the incident report, including that releasing the unredacted records would violate personal privacy, that the release of the records would interfere with a law enforcement proceeding, and attorney-client privilege.

It is still unclear if the Attorney General’s Office will be releasing the full incident report.

WIS Investigates asked the Attorney General’s Office why the case is open and if the state plans to file charges or close the case soon.

The office responded in an email on Friday: “It is the policy of the Attorney General’s office to not comment on the existence, or lack, of an investigation.”

Tedder has not been charged in this investigation, which remains ongoing. In South Carolina, criminal sexual conduct in the second degree is “a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 20 years,” according to state law.

WIS Investigates reached out to Tedder for a comment. He said in a statement, “These 2 year old allegations are not true. This rumor campaign against me started after I won the special election for state senate and now this comes out today, just days before the election, making it very clear that this is a politically-motivated hit job. Again, These allegations are not true, and it’s an insult to my family and I, and it’s a sad attempt at distracting the voters right before the election.”

Tedder also said he has never been interviewed for this investigation.

Tedder won his seat in a 2023 special election and is currently facing off in a race against Kim Greene in Tuesday’s primary.

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