Questions grow after Thunderbolt fire chief appears in jail records but was never booked
By Tia Maggio, Graham Cawthon
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HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (WJCL) — Beaufort County authorities say that Thunderbolt Fire Chief Odis Boyles was never taken to jail after his DUI arrest, even though online detention records appeared to show he had been booked and confined at the Beaufort County Detention Center.
The explanation followed questions about why Boyles showed up in jail records days after a Friday crash at a McDonald’s on New Orleans Road on Hilton Head Island.
Boyles, 45, was charged with driving under the influence after Beaufort County sheriff’s deputies responded to the wreck, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office incident report that was heavily redacted.
Arrest record raises questions Online detention records listed Boyles with a booking number, date and time, and indicated he was confined at the jail. But both the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and detention center staff now say that never happened.
Lt. Daniel Allen of the sheriff’s office said Boyles was arrested through a non-custodial process because of medical issues and was taken to a hospital instead of the detention center.
“He was arrested under a non-custodial arrest because, again, he had to be released due to medical issues and being checked into the hospital,” Allen said.
Allen said arrest information was still sent to the jail system, which may have caused the confusion.
“You may be able to say that’s kind of like an error in the system,” Allen said. “It shows non-custodial arrest, but it’s still someone who has been arrested. And so, for whatever reason, it shows on their end that this person has been confined. But again, he was not taken to the jail.”
He added that the discrepancy may have been caused by “a slip of the finger somewhere” or “a wrong button push.”
Detention center says Boyles was not brought there A detention center staff member also said Boyles was never physically taken to the jail.
Asked what “confined” means on the website, the staff member said, “Confinement usually means that they’re here.”
The staff member added, “I don’t know how they put confined unless at a time when they’re doing the arrest is confined. At that time, I’m not sure, but he wasn’t brought here.”
When asked whether detention officials could confirm they did not enter Boyles into their booking record system, the staff member replied, “Yes ma’am.”
Authorities also said the photo attached to the online record was not a new booking photo. Instead, deputies said it was an older image from 2024 and the most recent photo they had on file.
Town still reviewing situation The Town of Thunderbolt said Monday it is still gathering facts and reviewing the matter.
“The Town of Thunderbolt is aware of reports regarding an incident involving Fire Chief Odis Boyles in Beaufort County, South Carolina, over the weekend,” the town said in a statement. “The Town takes all matters involving public trust seriously and will continue to assess the situation as additional verified information becomes available. Due to the ongoing nature of the review, the Town will have no further comment at this time.”
As of Wednesday, town leaders had not said whether Boyles had returned to work. A man who identified himself as a Thunderbolt volunteer firefighter told WJCL 22 News that Boyles was not at the fire department that day.
Employment status remains unclear Boyles was hired as Thunderbolt fire chief in 2025, but it remains unclear whether he is still on the job.
Authorities have not said what specifically caused the discrepancy in the public record or whether any changes will be made to prevent a similar error in the future.
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