Composite story
Pickens County sheriff fires two deputies after out-of-state public intoxication arrests
Pickens, South CarolinaPublished 25 Sep 2026
Excel23 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Sheriff Tommy Blankenship fired two Pickens County deputies after public-intoxication charges outside South Carolina. He suspended them without pay, then said they were fired for violating agency policy. Records name Corey Baker and Holliday; outlets disagree on whether a 2024 gun left in a gas-station restroom was April or May.
Pickens County Sheriff Tommy Blankenship said he fired two deputies after they were charged with public intoxication outside South Carolina. He placed them on unpaid suspension, the office investigated, and he said they were fired for violating agency policy. He announced the firings on Sept. 23 without naming them. FITSNews, citing emails, identified Nikki Holliday and Corey Baker, an engaged couple still listed as K-9 handlers. FOX Carolina, citing a Gatlinburg incident report, named Corey Steven Baker and Jewel Nicole Holliday and described a Sept. 19 arrest. Both outlets recount a 2024 case in which Holliday left her service weapon in a gas-station restroom and a child found it, but they disagree on whether that was April or May.
Disputed opinions
None yet.
Two Pickens County Deputies Fired After 'Public Intoxication' Arrest
Published 23 Sep 2026 accessed 25 Sep 2026
Facts
Blankenship did not say whether the policy violations involved misconduct.
Those emails describe Nikki Holliday and Corey Baker as an engaged couple.
Emails to FITSNews say Holliday and Baker remain listed as K-9 handlers on the sheriff’s office website.
A child found Holliday’s handgun and took it to her mother.
Authorities located the gun five days later.
Holliday was written up for her role in the 2024 gun incident.
Opinion
FITSNews said the deputies returned to the private sector after a booze-fueled weekend ended in handcuffs.
FITSNews said a misconduct determination would effectively strip the deputies of their law enforcement certifications.
FITSNews called Blankenship forthcoming about the firings.
FITSNews said withholding the names is a standard practice that could make it easier for the deputies to get other law-enforcement jobs if their certifications are not revoked.
Fired Pickens County deputy previously in trouble for leaving gun in gas station bathroom
Published 23 Sep 2026 accessed 25 Sep 2026
Facts
Baker said he was trying to take Holliday back to an Airbnb because she was intoxicated.
An officer saw Baker pulling Holliday by the shirt away from the bar.
An incident report says an officer saw a woman shove a man before another person separated them.
An officer noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Baker’s breath.
Another officer said Holliday was seen passed out in front of a nearby restaurant.
Holliday was mad because Baker left her at the bar.
Officers began to take Holliday into custody.
Baker ignored officers’ commands to stay back and tried to intervene.
The incident report said alcohol was also detected on Holliday’s breath.
Baker was also taken into custody.
Both deputies were taken to the Gatlinburg Jail.
The incident report said both deputies were later released.
Holliday did not realize the gun was missing until four hours later.
The sheriff’s office used inmates to help search for the gun along the road.
An incident report said she took the gun back to the car.
Opinion
FOX Carolina called it a drunken incident out of state and said this is not the first time one of the deputies has gotten in trouble.
2 Upstate SC deputies fired after charges in another state
Published 24 Sep 2026 accessed 25 Sep 2026
Facts
Blankenship did not specify where the alleged offenses occurred.
This is the second time this year the agency has fired someone over misconduct allegations.
In May, Blankenship said he fired a deputy who had been charged with DUI in a hit-and-run in Easley.
Opinion
Blankenship said the public places an enormous amount of trust in the sheriff’s office.
Blankenship said that trust has to be earned every day.