Son of Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill charged with wiretapping, records show

Jeff Hill, the son of embattled Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill, was arrested on Tuesday by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agents on charges related to listening to other peoples’ telephone calls, according to court records.

SLED formally charged Hill with wiretapping — “intentional interception, use, or disclosure of any wire, oral, or electronic communication” — and he was released Wednesday on a $20,000 personal recognizance bond, according to court records. County Magistrate Roosevelt Jenkins set his bond.

Jeff Hill is technology director of Colleton County government. The charges have to do with his alleged repeated misuse of county equipment, a source familiar with the case said. The arrest came after a long investigation, and one alleged victim in the case is a county official, sources said. No other details were immediately available.

A source also said the cellphone of Becky Hill has been seized pursuant to a search warrant and is now in SLED custody.

Colleton County Administrator Kevin Griffin said he had no immediate comment on the matter but would likely have a statement later.

Jeff Hill did not answer his county phone Wednesday morning. Court records did not list a lawyer.

SLED also had no immediate comment. SLED’s usual practice when making an arrest is to issue a press release to the media within hours or a day or so of making the arrest. The press release usually contains a copy of the arrest warrant.

As clerk of court earlier this year, Becky Hill had a high profile role in the Alex Murdaugh double-murder trial, which was watched by millions on live-stream Court TV. An outgoing person, Becky Hill was a popular figure with the media and officials at the trial.

After the trial, which ended March 3, she published a book full of inside details of her interactions with the Murdaugh murder jury, court officials and law enforcement officers at the trial. The book is called “Behind the Doors of Justice.”

Since then, Murdaugh’s lawyers have accused her in court documents of jury tampering — allegedly influencing the jury behind the scenes to bring back a quick guilty verdict so she could publish her book with a neat, cut-and-dried ending. The Attorney General’s office has investigated those allegations and is contesting them in court. Hill has also denied the allegations in an affidavit.

According to the Colleton County’s internet site, the Colleton County technology department is responsible for all the county computers as well as telephones, conferencing and mobile cellular services.