Posted on 02/01/2024 11:23:36 AM PST by algore
CONWAY, S.C. (WPDE) — The couple accused of burning a cross facing their Black neighbor's home could soon be kicked out of their residence outside of Conway.
Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson asked an Horry County court to declare Worden Butler and Alexis Hartnett's residence along Corbett Drive a public nuisance.
Butler and Harnett face several charges and are being federally investigated for potential civil rights violations after police said they erected and burned a cross over the Thanksgiving holiday as a means to intimidate their neighbors, Shawn and Monica Williams.
James Battle, a special prosecutor who handles nuisance actions for the solicitor’s office, filed the petition on January 26. That was paired with a temporary injunction or restraining order that would remove the couple from the home sooner.
Richardson's additional request for a temporary injunction would remove all residents from the home and close it until the case can be heard in court. If the court declares the house a nuisance, the couple could be removed from the home for one year.
Richardson could oust the couple by using a state law that allows authorities to shut down businesses that become hot spots for crime or havens for prostitution and drugs.
The law also allows solicitors to address nuisances that stem from a “continuous breach of the peace,” and that’s how the petition describes the Corbett Drive home. The document details the cross burning, threats and slurs.
Richardson's office wrote in the Summons that the residence has had a "general reputation" for breaching the peace.
(Excerpt) Read more at wpde.com ...
It looks like the couple have not been convicted of anything yet? Just accused.
I can see sanctions of some sort being brought against this household...not because it’s a cross...and not because black neighbors saw it. Fire is dangerous...fire can spread...fire can spread quickly and unpredictably.
See Post #22
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