Man sues SC County after deputies falsely identify IBS medication as illegal drugs
By Caitlin Ashbaugh
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GREENWOOD, South Carolina (WYFF) — A Florida man who served time for narcotics charges is suing Greenwood County and sheriff’s department deputies after SLED lab reports showed they falsely identified his IBS medication as pills containing fentanyl and cocaine.
Bryan Getchius, alongside his attorney Tyler Bailey, announced a lawsuit on Wednesday against Greenwood County, the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Dennis Kelly, Deputy David Keener, Deputy Wesley McClinton and Officer James Freeman.
The lawsuit demands a trial by jury, claiming Getchius suffered for crimes he did not commit. Getchius served 15 days of jail time and 16 months of house arrest for the following charges: possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and trafficking fentanyl.
“He loses his job. He is publicly ridiculed. People don’t believe that he was innocent. All because of this unreliable drug, field drug kit that was used,” Bailey said.
A 40-minute body camera video on McClinton’s person shows how the scene unfolded on May 15, 2024.
Getchius was pulled over in Greenwood on his way home to Florida after visiting his mother and family on allegations of swerving lanes. Getchius admitted he was carrying a suspended license, which prompted deputies to conduct a search of his vehicle.
McClinton can be seen in the footage locating pill bottles and searching online twice to determine what they were used for. Getchius told deputies it was dicyclomine, used to treat symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
In incident reports, deputies reported the pills were “poorly made” and “broke apart with very small amounts of force.”
“I begged them, I said, please take my urine. You know, I said anything. My blood,” Getchius said.
Deputies conducted multiple field drug tests, which produced a positive result for fentanyl.
Getchius was taken into custody and transported to the Greenwood County Detention Center. Shortly after, another drug test was completed and returned positive results for cocaine.
The results were sent off to SLED for forensic lab testing while Getchius faced the court.
“My mom, sister and uncle sitting in the background. ‘Mr. Getchius, you’re a slightly risk and a danger to the community.’ I felt like the biggest piece of garbage ever,” Getchius said.
Because of an 18,000-case backlog, the state agency did not provide lab results until October 2025. The report showed all of the pills in Getchius’ possession were exclusively dicyclomine, by both visual examination and other testing.
The lawsuit alleges prosecutors attempted to push Getchius to plead to a lesser charge and dismiss the trafficking charge, for which he could have faced up to seven years of prison without parole. Getchius refused.
In the fall of 2025, charges were dismissed against Getchius. His attorney claims he has faced thousands of dollars in legal fees and a tarnished reputation.
Getchius said he was honoring a long-term streak of sobriety and was working at rehab and addiction centers in Florida at the time of his arrest.
“They took me away from everything that helped me to get and stay sober. I was sent back to ground zero with nothing,” Getchius said.
“Sleeping in jail for days is something you can’t put a price on. This is, your freedom is everything. Especially when you’re sober and you’re accused of being a drug trafficker or user,” Bailey said. “We want to see some reform. We want to see more reliable drug tests being used. We want to see, figure out a way to get rid of these thousands of case backlog where innocent people are out there fighting for their freedom right now. We want to see change.”
Greenwood County provided the following statement, claiming they are representing the sheriff’s department and any related employees.
“We were informed today that a civil lawsuit may be filed against Greenwood County and the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office. At this time, we have not received or reviewed the lawsuit and are unable to comment on the specific allegations. We will review the filing once it is received and respond through the appropriate legal process.”
Sheriff Kelly told WYFF News 4: “No comment on pending litigation.”
WYFF News 4 also attempted to reach the individual defendants and did not receive a response. We are also working to learn whether the sheriff’s department has or plans to take administrative action, or if an internal investigation has been requested by SLED.
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