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Gary Burgess files false imprisonment suit against Deputy Sarah Arms and Chuck Wright

SPARTANBURG  —

An Anderson County school board member has filed a lawsuit against Deputy Sarah Arms and former Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright.

On July 31, Gary Burgess filed a legal complaint alleging defamation, false imprisonment, and abuse of process.

This note is posted on Facebook for Sarah Arms: “Driven by her passion for seeking justice for sexual assault victims, vulnerable adults, and abused children, Sgt. Arms returned to the Sheriff’s Office in 2024 as a Special Victims Unit Investigator.”

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The lawsuit stems from Burgess' arrest last year when he was accused of two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor between the ages of 11 and 14. Those charges were dismissed in March. Burgess is now seeking a jury trial and punitive damages.

Gary Burgess was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree from Wofford College in 1979. He earned a graduate degree from Converse University in 1984. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina, Columbia in 1999. Burgess' career experience includes working as an educator, college professor, and as a pastor.[1]

Burgess has served with the following organizations:[1]

  • Invited Guest Lecturer, the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, 2019;

  • Wofford College Black Alumni Association, board member, 2017-present

  • Moving Forward Together: A National Summit of Schools, Communities and Law Enforcement, Statewide Planning Team, 2016, 2017

  • The South Carolina Caucus of Black School Board Members, 2014-present

  • Anderson County Board of Education, Secretary, 2010-present

  • Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, Inc, Board of Directors, 2005-present

  • Education Issues, Editorial Review Board, 2005-2007

  • National Dropout Center, Program Assessment and Review Team, 2002

  • National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 2002

  • The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Research, Controversy, and Practices, Consulting Editor, 1999-2008


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