Swansea, SC 04/07/2022 (Paul Kirby) – For years, it seems to Alberta Wasden that the Swansea Town Hall and many of its elected officials have been in disarray, incompetent, and corrupt. She has worked diligently to expose these traits to the public and labored as an investigator of sorts combing through piles of paperwork and attending hours of meetings in an attempt to right the wrongs she’s seen. That’s why when a local handicapped man said he had been brutalized and falsely arrested by Swansea’s Police Chief Earl Williams, it didn’t surprise her that no one could locate an official Swansea Employee Complaint Form to file a written complaint. In an email to The Lexington Ledger last Sunday Wasden said, “We can't find a complaint form, but we created one.” Now, the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and the Swansea Police Department have asked SLED to investigate the incident which they are doing. This all started when Wasden and several others were contacted by a 78-year-old Swansea citizen who is handicapped after he was arrested by Swansea Police Chief Earl Williams.
According to Wasden, the elderly man was arrested on March 31 after his encounter with Swansea Police Chief Earl Williams. The complainant said that he was injured by Chief Williams after Williams lost his temper when the man criticized an officer that works for the Swansea P.D. He said that Williams had no real reason to arrest him and when he did, he used excessive force to do so.
The complainant owns a business in Swansea and says he went to meet with Chief Williams to discuss some problems he felt were an issue with a Swansea police officer. According to the complainant, he had witnessed an off-duty Swansea officer speeding without using the lights or siren on his cruiser. He was even more concerned because this officer had been involved in several high-speed chases that ended in accidents. One of those ended with a totaled patrol car, a citizen’s vehicle crashed, and a home damaged.
When the man spoke with the Chief, the complainant was given an explanation as to why this officer was speeding. The man told Chief Williams he just didn’t believe explanation or excuse and at that point, the Chief became enraged! The elderly man, who wears a prosthesis and has a heart condition, was still sitting in his truck when all this happened. Chief Williams immediately told the handicapped man he was under arrest, opened the truck’s door, and drug the complainant out to the ground. During this process, the man says he didn’t fight or resist but the violent manhandling by the Chief injured him to the point that he had to be transported to the hospital for treatment of injuries to his head, neck, and shoulders. His prosthesis was also damaged during the encounter.
According to Wasden, Councilmember Doris Simmons was contacted about the allegations of excessive force. Simmons has been a vocal critic of the town for years but has rarely been in the majority when positive changes were brought before council for a vote. When any issue about reform came before that body, Simmons’ yes votes are usually outnumbered by the majority of the council that voted no for changes. Simmons did say that the area where the arrest took place is under video surveillance, so there should be some footage of the encounter. She also said if Chief Williams was interacting with the public in his official capacity as Police Chief, he should have been wearing and have activated his town issued body camera, a standard piece of equipment for all Swansea officers that is supposed to be worn on their uniforms.
Councilmember Simmons met with the complainant and described his injuries from the incident as. “Severe.” Apparently, it was Simmons who contacted the Lexington Country's Sheriff’s Department asking them to investigate this incident. It is standard procedure for Sheriff Koon’s department to ask SLED for assistance in such matters to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest or appearances of improprieties.
At this point, it isn’t clear if Swansea officials have suspended Chief Williams, but according to Wasden, at this point in her investigative career, nothing the town does would surprise her. The complainant has already retained legal council to represent him as this moves forward.
Comments