State pays out Orangeburg couple after lawsuit over alleged police raid
ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The State Insurance Reserve Fund is paying $250,000 each to an Orangeburg couple after a 2020 encounter with police that the couple says violated their rights.
In August 2020, three police officers pulled up to an Orangeburg County home around 2 a.m., and body and dashcam videos show them bringing out two people and handcuffing them.
The couple says they were dragged out of bed, handcuffed and detained at the scene. They found out later it was without a warrant.
The couple believes it was a personal matter since they knew one of the officers and had past conversations with him about their personal relationship.
It was confirmed that former Holly Hill Police officers Jermaine Smith and Jacob Bolen, along with former Santee Officer George Chappell were fired from their departments at the time of the 2022 lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges the three men showed up to the home about a personal disagreement, but they wore their police uniforms and took cop cars and guns with them. Jurisdiction lines show the two police departments were out of their scope.
The men eventually uncuffed the couple and let them go after asking a few vague questions. The state insurance fund paid the couple $250,000 each in early 2024 in relation to the event.
The South Carolina Insurance Reserve Fund provides property and liability coverage to state and local government offices around the state.
Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.
