Clerk of court candidate accused of perjury stemming from 1999 case

BLUFFTON -- A candidate for Beaufort County clerk of court might have perjured himself during a child custody hearing in 1999, a judge wrote in his court order on the case.

P.R. "Radar" Caulder was working as a private investigator for a man attempting strip his wife of child custody rights. The man argued that his wife should lose child

custody because she had allowed a man she was romantically involved with to interact with them. Caulder testified that he saw the woman's boyfriend at a family gathering where the children were present, according to court

records.

Judge Wayne Creech's order stated that "some portions of the sworn testimony of ... Caulder were false and that a transcript of the proceedings shall be prepared and forwarded to the Solicitor for the 14th Judicial Circuit for investigation into possible perjury

charges."

The issue was not investigated and no charges were filed.

Caulder did not returns calls or e-mails Thursday seeking comment and was not at his campaign office in Beaufort.

Caulder is one of three candidates vying for the Republican nomination for Beaufort County clerk of court. He faces incumbent Elizabeth Smith and William Alston in the

June 10 primary.

Creech said Thursday that the evidence against Caulder was "overwhelming" and was based on "a multitude of

witnesses."

Creech said he wasn't surprised the solicitor didn't prosecute, saying solicitors often avoid looking into perjury charges in civil cases because they have many more pressing cases to deal with and are

understaffed.

Duffie Stone, the current solicitor for the 14th Circuit, was not in office at the time of the custody case and had no comment on the matter.