COLUMBIA, S.C. – Governor Henry McMaster today issued Executive Order 2025-18 appointing current Cherokee County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Jeffery F. Stephens to serve as Spartanburg County Sheriff, following the resignation of Sheriff Chuck Wright. 

State law requires that if a vacancy occurs more than one year prior to the next general election, a special election must be held to elect a new sheriff. Stephens will serve until a new sheriff is elected in a special election to be held later this year. 

A resident of Boiling Springs, S.C., Stephens has served as the Chief Deputy of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office since 2011. He spent 25 years with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, rising to Commander of the Northern Command, where he directed field operations across 23 counties in the Upstate. Stephens began his law enforcement career in 1980 with the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office and later served with the Spartanburg Police Department. A copy of his resume can be found here.