SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Spartanburg County fired its IT director in June for not following established protocols after a number of cybersecurity incidents, according to a termination letter released this week.
The letter, sent June 10, cited violating county policy or departmental rules, refusal to follow management instructions, poor judgment and intentionally or negligently causing damage to county property.
The county was hit by a ransomware attack on its computer network in April 2023. At the time, the county said it was working with third-party cybersecurity consultants and that all essential services, including 9-1-1 operations, continued to operate.
According to the letter, county administration then met with the director weekly to set protocols for cybersecurity, multi-factor authentication, database backups and 911 Call Center SLED audit logs.
Another cybersecurity incident in August 2025 showed those protocols were not followed, the letter said. That led to a complete loss of the 2025 coroner database and system-wide disruptions. In March 2026, NCIC access for the 911 Call Center was put in jeopardy when required audit file logs could not be produced.
