DETAILS SURFACE OF DEPUTY'S DRUG ARREST

SUMTER--A Sumter County sheriff's deputy arrested Wednesday for allegedly
selling cocaine did so to pay for his sick child's medical expenses,
according to court records obtained by The Item of Sumter.

A sworn statement by a special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration also alleges that Sgt. Bryant Reginald Hudson, 35, used a
known Sumter drug dealer to sell crack and tried to enlist another deputy to
pick up cash from the sales.

Hudson, a 13-year veteran, was taken into custody on federal charges of
distribution of crack cocaine and cocaine, and conspiracy to distribute
crack cocaine and cocaine. He has been suspended without pay pending the
outcome of the case, Sheriff Tommy Mims said.

If convicted, Hudson faces five years to life in prison.

An investigation began in April 1997 and was a joint effort by the Sumter
County Sheriff's Department, the DEA and the regional drug task force.

Mims said the investigation is ongoing, and he has not ruled out the
possibility that others, including other officers, will be charged.

Hudson originally approached the drug dealer in 1992 when his 10-year-old
son was ill, according to a DEA agent's statement. Hudson asked how he could
make money, and the dealer said he could turn $300 into $500 in a week.

The relationship grew from there, the agent's statement said.