St. George DMV clerk arrested for embezzlement, SLED investigating

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – State agents arrested a woman for embezzling funds through title transactions while working at the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles St. George office.

44-year-old Shayla Singleton-Drayton was charged with embezzlement of public funds valued at more than $10,000.

Singleton-Drayton was employed as a customer service representative at the St. George DMV from Dec. 1, 2022, to Mar. 7, 2024, when the crimes occurred.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said she took $19,451.

On Mar. 7, the Office of the Inspector General said they received a complaint from a customer who said she was overcharged for a title transaction by Singleton-Drayton.

The customer was charged $600 when the cost should have been $585. After investigating further, officials found only $85 was out into the DMV system and deposited into Singleton-Drayton’s cash drawer, according to an affidavit.

The investigation continued, and the DMV uncovered several instances in which Singleton-Drayton had processed transactions but not accounted for the entire amount of funds.

When questioned, she admitted to investigators that she took the funds “because she had financial problems and needed the money to pay her personal bills and other expenses,” the affidavit states.

She was booked in the Dorchester County Detention Center.