Injunction sought against S.C. couple accused in cross-burning

CONWAY, S.C. (WMBF) – A couple accused of burning a cross just feet from the home of their Black neighbors could be forced to leave their home.

Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson filed a petition last week requesting that a judge grant a temporary injunction against the home of Worden Butler and Alexis Hartnett.

The petition cites that the home is a nuisance because it has a reputation for continuous breaches of peace.

Documents show the couple moved into the home along Corbett Drive around Jan. 1, 2021.

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“Since that time the two have harassed, assaulted and threatened their neighbors and people in public areas surrounding 1400 Corbett Drive,” the petition states.

The court filings go on to claim that on Thanksgiving Day of 2023, Hartnett threatened and yelled racial slurs at their Black neighbors, Shawn and Monica Williams.

“This same day, Respondent Worden Butler posted photos of his neighbor’s house on Facebook and stated, ‘With a cross in the lawn … Going to give my racist neighbors who don’t live here and you’ve been harassing me for three years a good scare for their health,” the petition states.

The petition alleges that around 7:30 p.m. Nov. 24, Butler placed a burning cross a few feet away from the Williams’ fence. The documents go on to state that once police and firefighters arrived, Hartnett once again yelled threats and racial slurs toward the neighbors.

Monica Williams said she is relieved the injunction has been filed with more needed to be done to stamp out hate of any form.

“It is a start and it sends a message to not just in Conway or anywhere in the South,” Monica Williams said. “This behavior will not be tolerated and everyone has the right to live in peace and harmony with themselves without being targeted because of their skin color.”

The petition filed by Richardson calls for the removal of residents from the home and closing the home on Corbett Drive for one year.

Richardson believes if the couple stays in the home, then it will continue to operate as a public nuisance “to the harm and detriment of the public,” according to the court documents.

The next step is for a judge to decide whether or not to grant the temporary injunction.

Butler and Hartnett are facing second-degree harassment charges in connection to the cross-burning.

The FBI also launched a civil rights investigation involving allegations of racial discrimination against the couple.

Meanwhile, calls for a statewide hate crime law in South Carolina have grown following the cross-burning. South Carolina remains one of two states that doesn’t have a statewide hate crime law.

Petition for Temporary Inju... by Kristin