True crime book covers Berkeley County’s criminal past

Attention true crime junkies and local history buffs. Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis will talk about his new true crime book, “Lawmen and Lawlessness: Historic Cases of Corruption and Murder” at the June 28 author series.

 

In the book, Lewis and coauthor Daniel Crooks, former S.C. constable and historian, explore a bygone era in Berkeley County’s past. Together they unearthed trial transcripts, letters and testimonies from local archives and found a compelling collection of notable criminal cases, some of which hadn’t seen the light of day in a century. 

 

In “Lawmen and Lawlessness,” Lewis and Crooks reflect on Berkeley County’s criminal past, sharing firsthand accounts of manhunts, shootouts, ruckus trials, and ghastly public executions. While law enforcement can be a grisly trade, the pair are not aiming to present an overly gloomy documentary. 

 

“The cases are naturally sad at times, but it is truly a telling of prosecutions and trials,” Sheriff Lewis said. “And while the book is colloquial, it is an authentic representation of what crime and punishment in the South looked like during the late 19th through the better part of the 20th century.”

 

Lewis was first elected sheriff in 2015 and was reelected to a third term in 2022. He began his career in law enforcement as a deputy sheriff with Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office and worked in municipal, county and state police agencies. He serves on the board for the Berkeley County Museum and is a member of the Berkeley County Historical Society. He lives in Berkeley County with his wife. He has six children and one grandson.

 

Crooks is a retired state constable and professor of criminal justice. He began his career as a state public safety officer and taught classes on law enforcement and criminology. A licensed tour guide in Charleston, he has authored four books on the city’s rich history. He lives with his wife on James Island.

 

The event is set for Wednesday, June 28, at Daniel Pointe Retirement Community, 514 Robert Daniel Drive. The author talk begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are free – sign up at bit.ly/DINews_Lawmen.

 

SERIES SPONSORS AND BENEFACTORS

 

The author series is organized by The Daniel Island News and made possible by the generous support of the Daniel Island Community Fund and Bublish, Inc. and by donations from the community.