After various threats, South Carolina couple allegedly burns cross in Black neighbors’ yard
Monica Williams, who lives with her husband, Shawn, in Conway, told WMBF-TV their neighbors "have made the last two years a living nightmare" for them.
A white couple allegedly set fire to a cross “in full view” of their Black neighbors’ South Carolina home on Thanksgiving.
USA Today reported that police in Horry County arrested Worden Butler, 28, and Alexis Harnett, 27, on second-degree harassment charges following the incident that took place on Nov. 23 in front of their neighbors’ house in Conway, located roughly 15 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach.
“Such hate and harassment will not be tolerated,” said Horry County Police Chief Joseph Hill, calling the perpetrators’ actions “appalling and unacceptable.”
“The individuals responsible will be held accountable for their actions and the hurt they have caused the victims and the greater Horry County community,” he added. “We will continue to support the victims and stand with them against such indecency.”
Monica Williams, who lives with her husband, Shawn Williams, told WMBF-TV their neighbors “have made the last two years a living nightmare” for them. The couple found the burning cross facing their home about eight feet from their fence.
According to an incident report, officers arrived at the victims’ house on Nov. 23 following reports that their neighbors were stalking and harassing them. The victims informed police that they felt “the suspects are a danger to their safety” and that the occurrences were “getting more frequent and threatening.”
Butler and Harnett yelled racially motivated derogatory comments against them, a Horry County police officer noted in the report, adding the victims told police they were scared the pair “may escalate their behavior beyond cross burning.”
The officer said Butler had also just “dug a moat around his property,” and at the scene, Hartnett hurled racial slurs at the Williams’ while police spoke to them. Police caught the obscenities on body cameras.
Harnett shouted racist obscenities against the victims, threatened them with bodily harm, and informed them she “killed a Black woman in the past,” according to police in her arrest warrant.
“We were speechless,” said Monica Williams, who added that she and her husband “never experienced something like that.”
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Butler allegedly posted the couple’s address on Facebook before the cross-burning incident, claiming he was “summoning the devil’s army, and I don’t care if they and I both go down in the same boat. I’m about to make them pay.”
According to records, Harnett and Butler were booked into Horry County Sheriff’s Office Jail on Nov. 30. Conway Magistrate Court files show the two each paid $500 bonds and were released on Dec. 1.
The NAACP said it planned to initiate an investigation into the prejudice-motivated hate crime.
“Certainly, this has opened old wounds for those who have lived through the Jim Crow era,” said NAACP task group member Cedric Blain-Spain.
South Carolina is one of just two states without municipal laws criminalizing hate crimes. In the Palmetto State, a hate crime measure has passed the House and reached the Senate floor during the last three years, but has yet to be enacted.
“As a city we are appalled and disturbed by the details that have been reported,” said city of Conway spokesperson June Wood, USA Today reported. “The safety of our community remains a priority and hate towards anyone will not be tolerated in Conway. We stand in support of the victims in this incident and our partners at Horry County Police Department as they pursue justice.”
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