Former Aiken judge pardoned

Former Aiken County Magistrate Charles Terry Carter, who in February 2008 pleaded guilty to misconduct in office, has been pardoned.

Carter, 60, of Graniteville, was pardoned on April 29, which means he is fully forgiven from all legal consequences of his crime and conviction, state officials confirm. A pardon does not, however, speak to guilt or innocence.

"His guilt has already been established," said Pete O'Boyle, a spokesman for the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.

Carter was arrested on Jan. 9, 2007, at his office - once located at the Masonic Shopping Center in Graniteville - on allegations he knew his legal secretary had a sexual relationship with an inmate assigned to work at the office. Following his arrest, Carter was placed on interim suspension until June 2007, when he submitted his resignation, citing medical reasons.

It was later learned that the former magistrate knew his legal secretary had a sexual relationship with an inmate at the Lower Savannah Pre-Release Center on Wire Road.

She was arrested in December 2006, a month after the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division launched its investigation at the request of the Aiken County Sheriff's Office. The secretary later admitted to the misconduct in a written statement.

The pardon does not mean the conviction will be expunged from his legal record, either, although it will likely be noted that there has been a pardon, officials said.

Aiken County Chief Magistrate Roger Edmunds explained that while technically Carter could be reappointed if a state senator or the governor chose to do so, he said that Carter has been away from his post for more than a year, and to reapply for the position, a candidate must have a bachelor's degree.

Carter does not have one, Edmunds said.

Carter became the Graniteville magistrate in July 1997.

Before then, he was a ministerial magistrate and also a law enforcement officer under former Aiken County Sheriff Ralph Gunnels. Sen. Tommy Moore appointed Carter to the position.

Contact Karen Daily at kdaily@aikenstandard.com.