SCDNR enforcement boss sidelined pending investigation by Charleston authorities
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ top law enforcement officer has been suspended without pay pending an investigation into charges of criminal domestic violence.
Col. Alexander Chisolm Frampton, deputy director of the SCDNR’s Law Enforcement Division, was arrested last Sunday by officers with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Department after an alleged altercation with his wife at their home on Johns Island.
In an incident report, deputies said Frampton’s wife told them he had gone “into a rage” over her spending habits. She said Frampton smashed a “Good Samaritan Box” she was preparing for needy children. She also said he took a broom, broke the handle over his knee, and told her he wanted to beat her.
The report said Frampton followed his wife around the residence, “yelling and swearing at her in front of their son.” She told deputies Frampton trapped her in the bathroom and kicked her in the rear, knocking her to the floor of a closet. She escaped to a neighbor’s home and called 911.
Authorities arrested Frampton for criminal domestic violence and took him to the Charleston County Detention Center. Frampton, 47, was released Monday on a personal recognizance bond in Charleston County, according to the SCDNR.
Capt. Robert McCullough, an SCDNR spokesman, said Frampton will be suspended from his position, which carries an annual salary of $96,000, without pay pending completion of the investigation by the Charleston County Sheriff’s Department.
Frampton, a Charleston, became the S.C. Department of Natural Resources law enforcement chief earlier this year after serving 19 years with the agency. He replaced Col. Alvin Taylor, who is now agency director.
A graduate of the College of Charleston, Frampton also graduated from the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy. In 1993, he joined SCDNR as a private first class. He has served as a sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and more recently as major.
A person facing certain domestic violence charges in South Carolina can lose the right to carry a gun if found guilty. Depending on the outcome of the case, that could prove significant to Frampton’s future in law enforcement with SCDNR. Maximum penalties for certain first-time criminal domestic violence offenses are 30 days in jail and a $2,500 fine.
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