Spartanburg County deputy facing criminal charges put on leave

A Spartanburg County deputy facing criminal charges in Cherokee County has been placed on leave.

Mark Rabideau, 32, of 165 Bambi Trail in Cowpens, was booked into the Cherokee County jail on Friday. He is charged with pointing and presenting a firearm at a person and driving under suspension, according to online jail records.

Rabideau was put on leave without pay pending an internal investigation into the matter, Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Kevin Bobo said.

The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office responded to a larceny call on Blue Branch Road in Gaffney at 10:22 p.m. Sept. 18, according to an incident report from that agency.

A man told the responding deputy that Rabideau had come to his home to pick up a woman who had been staying there, the report states. The man woke up to the woman leaving without his knowledge. When the man walked outside, Rabideau was standing in his front yard and pointed a pistol at him, according to the report.

The woman then loaded up her belongings in Rabideau’s black SUV and the two left together, the report states. The man then realized that the woman had taken $890 from his kitchen counter, the report states.

Cherokee County Sheriff Steve Mueller said the warrants for Rabideau were obtained by his investigators, and they made the arrest on Friday. He said the women named in the report, Tiffany Brooke Gibson, has an outstanding warrant charging her with larceny.

Rabideau was released from the Cherokee County jail on a $5,000 bond on Friday.

He was ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim and ordered not to return to the incident location, according to online court records.

Rabideau has been employed with the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office since February 2012, according to records obtained from the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy.

Since graduating basic law enforcement training, he has completed numerous training courses in areas that include criminal domestic violence, gang activity, human trafficking and advanced sexual assault, according to his records.

Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office Deputy Chief Billy Parris declined to specify the nature of the driving under suspension charge against Rabideau.

Parris also would not say whether Rabideau has been able to drive while employed at the Sheriff's Office. He cited the ongoing internal investigation.