Cayce Public Safety director turning up the heat to clean up nuisance business

Cayce, SC (Paul Kirby) – Last week, when Cayce’s Director of Public Safety Byron Snellgrove said he was going to clean up the problems they were having with a local business, he didn’t mean it as a hollow threat. Monday morning, Cayce officers proved they had taken their chief’s edict seriously when they arrested two after they left the Knight’s Inn and the fled from a basic traffic stop.

After a stabbing occurred at the business last week that almost killed someone, Snellgove said he’d had enough of the crime that plagued the Knight’s Inn on Airport Boulevard. He made it clear he would keep cars and officer at or near the business and was taking a zero-tolerance stance on any crime there, no matter how small. Just after lunch Monday, Cayce officers had already arrested several men who were leaving that business. The driver disregarded an officer and both men tried to escape. According to Snellgrove, this is just the first of many cases they are going to make until the business and its owner begin to take crime seriously and work with the police to improve the clientele and conditions at the motel.

Snellgrove said Monday that he had officers watching the Knight’s Inn closely. One observant DPS officer noticed a vehicle leaving a room and felt like something didn’t look right. As soon as that car turned onto the public street, its driver disregarded a traffic safety law. When the officer activated his warning lights to pull the vehicle over, the suspects fled. Eventually, K-9s were used to track one of the occupants down and the other was also taken into custody. The driver is facing charges of driving with a suspended license, larceny, DUS 5th, and being a habitual offender. He also had warrants from the Swansea Police Department. The other had warrants from the North, SC Police Department and others from Parole, Probation, and Pardon. North’s charges involve unlawful conduct toward a child, providing false information to law enforcement, and resisting arrest. The suspect obviously isn't learning from past mistakes because he gave officers from Cayce a false name Monday as well. Both men were being booked Monday afternoon.

Snellgrove said Monday that he doesn’t know how he can be any clearer to the tenants and owner of the Knight’s Inn. “I take my responsibility to the citizens and businesses of Cayce very seriously,” Snellgrove said. “More than 99% of our businesses are run and owned by people who care about keeping their establishments crime free. This one man chooses not to help and allows crime to run rampant. If that's the way he does business, we'll ratchet up things on our end!"

Chief Snellgrove said that earlier Monday morning, a guest went to the front desk and asked to use a phone to call police. She said she had been the victim of domestic abuse and needed help from the police. “The person working behind the front desk refused this reasonable request,” Snellgrove said. "He wouldn't let her make that one phone call."

“He’s [sic] often refused to help us and has gotten very close to obstructing us during some investigations. I’m not good at telling jokes and I can promise everyone that there was no humor intended here. When I said I would take care of the crime at the Knight’s Inn if he didn’t, I was serious! Right now, the owner should consider this a message and I want to be perfectly clear again! We are going to look at everyone, every car, anyone who goes in and out of that place. We are using every legal tool in the toolbox to fix this mess. If we see anything, anything at all, we will stop, check, and people will go to jail if they're breaking any laws.” Snellgrove concluded by saying, “This is just the beginning; The heat is on and we’re going to keep turning up the burner until it’s HOT, Hotter, Hottest. Things are going to change at the Knight’s Inn!”