Myrtle Beach Criminal Law Blog

A South Carolina man has been arrested in connection with an apparent drive-by shooting. He has since been charged with attempted murder and various drug charges. He is on bond for $55,000 and is being held in a local jail.

The alleged incident happened in Dillon County. As he was driving down the roadway, the accused man supposedly discharged a firearm wildly, purportedly resulting in damage to several vehicles. However, no one was harmed in the incident. In addition to the attempted murder charge, he was also charged with trafficking cocaine, trafficking crank or crack, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and misdemeanor drug possession.

One South Carolina man faces drug charges after a search following a simple traffic stop resulted in criminal charges. He was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the transport of marijuana and possession of a firearm by a convicted violent felon. Furthermore, the man faces additional drug charges after pills allegedly found during the search were determined to contain illegal bath salts.

The incident began when police witnessed the man making an illegal lane change, so they pulled him over for what appeared to be a run-of-the-mill moving violation. However, when police reportedly smelled marijuana coming from the man's SUV, they searched the vehicle and its occupants. From their search, they allegedly found just under an ounce of marijuana and 34 pills subsequently determined to be bath salts, which are classified as schedule I drugs. Police also purportedly found a gun in the vehicle's glove box, which may result in serious consequences for the detained man as police say he has a prior felony conviction.

When murder charges are filed, there are usually very clear reasons behind the charge. After all, evidence is required to issue an arrest warrant and file charges for murder. Nevertheless, it is not always clear from initial news reports about a crime exactly what occurred and who is responsible. Sometimes, that is because law enforcement authorities do not themselves know the full story, leaving them to piece together what they think happened.

Recently, a 27-year-old South Carolina man was arrested earlier this month and charged with the murder of two women, although the initial news report offers scant details as to the accused man's relation to the incident. This murder occurred in Orangeburg County. The two women, 21 and 37 years old, were found dead in an abandoned mobile home last month and murder was considered to the cause of death. One of the women had children with the man, and the families of the victims acknowledged they knew him. But other than those two claims, no other relevant facts were included in initial reports that indicated a solid connection between the man and the double homicide.

With increasing national attention on the Trayvon Martin case, South Carolina "Stand Your Ground" statutes are also under review. If you are not familiar, the case involves an African-American teenager, who was shot by a man who claims he was on "neighborhood watch" and shot the teen in self-defense.

The criminal law case is controversial, creating an outcry among his family and community, which claims the shooting was racially motivated. It also raises questions about a Florida self-defense law that allows the use of deadly force in an arguably broad context.

What does "Stand Your Ground" mean in South Carolina? South Carolina has it's own version of the Florida self-defense statute that extends from what is commonly known as the "castle doctrine." Under the South Carolina "Protection of Persons and Property Act" of 2006, an individual has the right to defend against "great bodily injury" in his or her home, vehicle or business.