Sheriff: Deputy coroner, former fire chief arrested on embezzlement, voyeurism charges

CHEROKEE COUNTY, S.C. (WHNS/Gray News) - A deputy coroner and former fire chief was arrested on embezzlement and voyeurism charges in South Carolina.

Cherokee County Sheriff Steven Mueller said Joshua Perrin Parker, 49, was booked into the Cherokee County Detention Center. He is charged with embezzling $10,000 or more in public funds and two counts of voyeurism.

Parker was fired from the Cherokee County Coroner’s Office on Monday after being suspended on Dec. 29, 2025.

Parker was suspended after the chairman of the board of the Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department filed a report alleging fraudulent activity by Parker, who previously served as the department’s chief, according to the Cherokee County Coroner’s Office.

Authorities said the board removed Parker after discovering several thousand dollars in financial irregularities with the assistance of an outside auditor. Additionally, the board chairman alerted law enforcement to a hidden camera containing sexually explicit images that may have been used to record victims without their consent.

According to warrants, the voyeurism charges stem from incidents between 2019 and 2022. The alleged embezzlement took place between Jan. 2021 and Dec. 2025.

“While these charges are not related to or in any way connected with my office, I must maintain the integrity to which it stands for. I, and every employee in my office, are held to a high standard of trust by our citizens, whom we serve every day. I will not tolerate anything less, period,” Coroner Dennis Fowler said.