New Atlantic Beach interim police chief was fired from 2 Grand Strand agencies, documents show
ATLANTIC BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Atlantic Beach’s new interim police chief was fired from two Grand Strand law enforcement agencies, according to documents obtained by News13 from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.
Carlos Castillo was named interim chief after Quentin Robinson was one of 12 people arrested on prostitution charges in April. Castillo has been with Atlantic Beach police since June 2022, documents show.
Atlantic Beach Councilman John David told News13 Castillo was named interim chief before now-former Town Manager Benjamin Quattlebaum resigned on May 1. David told News13 he was not aware of Castillo’s past firings.
Castillo was fired from the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office in January 2016 after working there for less than a year, training records show. He was fired for a policy violation that did not involve misconduct, though it’s unclear what specific policy was violated.
After his separation from the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, Castillo joined the Andrews Police Department and was there for a little more than a month before joining the Horry County Police Department in May 2016, documents show.
Castillo was fired from Horry County in July 2019, according to his training documents. He was fired over an agency policy violation that did not include misconduct, though the documents again did not specify what policy was violated.
The South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy previously told News13 that agencies are only required to report cases of misconduct to the academy. To read what it defines as “misconduct,” click here.
News13 initially reached out to Town Clerk Cheryl Pereira to confirm Castillo’s appointment as interim police chief. Pereira referred us to Mayor Jake Evans, who, as of this writing, has not responded to News13’s calls, texts or emails.
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News13 is also working to learn Robinson’s current status. Count on us for updates.
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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.
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