A deputy from a Low Country Sheriff's Office has been fired for defaulting on her student loans. Charleston County Chief Deputy Joyce Smith was let go last week, after she willfully did not pay her federal student debt back in the agreed upon time frame. Charleston County Sheriff Kristen Graziano says she was aware of Smith's defaulted payments in 2020. Smith reportedly signed an affidavit stating she was working on paying off the loans. A credit report was ran on Smith earlier this year and revealed she was still defaulting on the loans. State law prohibits anyone who willfully defaults on certain types of loans from working for the state or any of its agencies until the payments are made current. Should government employees be fired for defaulting on student loans?
