Chester County sheriff: Ex-deputy charged in murder of retired Rock Hill policeman
A former Chester County deputy is charged with murder after a retired Rock Hill Police Department officer was found dead in a downtown Rock Hill apartment Friday, officials said.
Evan Robert Hawthorne, 27, of Chester, has been charged with murder, said York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson.
The victim was identified by Tolson as Larry Vaughan, a retired Rock Hill police lieutenant.
Vaughan’s body was found after 3 p.m. Friday in an apartment in the Anderson Apartment Building, 108 Main Street, at the corner of Main Street and Dave Lyle Boulevard, according to a written statement released by the sheriff’s office.
The suspect
Hawthorne is a former Chester County deputy who was fired in 2019 after he was charged with DUI, said Max Dorsey, Chester County Sheriff.
Dorsey told The Herald Friday night he was aware of the homicide in Rock Hill and that Hawthorne had been charged in the case.
The case
Detectives with the sheriff’s office violent crimes division charged Hawthorne around 7:30 p.m. after locating him at the corner of Ebenezer Road and Hollis Lakes Road in Rock Hill, Tolson said in a release.
The city police department would normally handle a death investigation inside the city. However, the sheriff’s office was asked by Rock Hill police to handle the investigation because of Vaughan’s ties to the police department, Tolson said.
The York County Coroner’s Office also is investigating, but has not yet released a cause and manner of death.
The victim
Vaughan retired after a long career at the Rock Hill Police Department. He was the lieutenant in the criminal investigation division when he retired and had been a member of SWAT and other units.
The sheriff’s statement
Here is the entire statement released by Tolson Friday night after Hawthorne’s arrest:
“In less than four hours York County Violent Crimes Detectives made an arrest in a murder investigation. Detectives arrested Evan Robert Hawthorne, 27, of Chester, SC in connection with the death of retired Rock Hill Police Lieutenant Larry Vaughan. Hawthorne was located at the corner of Ebenezer Road and Hollis Lakes Road in Rock Hill.
“On July 23, 2021, at approximately 3:15 P.M. Deputies were called to the Anderson Apartment Building at the request of the Rock Hill Police Department at 108 East Main Street after Vaughan was found deceased in his apartment.
“The Rock Hill Police asked the York County Sheriff’s Office to investigate due to Vaughn having ties to their agency.
‘Our hearts break for our friends and colleagues at the Rock Hill Police Department and our entire law enforcement community,’ said Sheriff Kevin Tolson. ‘I’m thankful for the diligent and the expedient work of our Detectives during such a difficult case regarding an individual they know personally.’”
Hawthorne was taken to the York County Detention Center and served with a warrant.
This case remains under investigation.
Second body found Friday
The body is the second investigated by the sheriff’s office on Friday.
Earlier in the day, deputies and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department investigated after a body was found in Lake Wylie near the state line between South Carolina and North Carolina. The body in the lake is believed to be a boater reported missing since Wednesday, officials said.
The cases are not related, officials said.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
This story was originally published July 23, 2021 at 7:36 PM with the headline "Chester County sheriff: Ex-deputy charged in murder of retired Rock Hill policeman."
