S.C. cross-burning suspect’s court case delayed; no new date set
CONWAY, S.C. (WMBF) - A hearing for one of the two people accused of burning a cross to scare their Black neighbors was continued on Tuesday.
Worden Butler’s trial was set to begin with jury selection on Tuesday, five months after the Conway-area cross-burning that left their neighbors afraid to return home.
A new hearing date has not been set. It is also unclear why Tuesday’s hearing was continued.
Butler and his girlfriend, Alexis Hartnett, are accused of burning a cross in November to intimidate their neighbors, Shawn and Monica Williams, after a property line disagreement.
The two were both charged with second-degree harassment.
There’s still no word yet on when Hartnett’s trial may begin.
The couple have since been evicted from their home on Corbett Drive for one year after a judge ruled their home a nuisance.
The cross-burning also ignited a new push for a statewide hate crime bill, which failed again this year in the state house.
However, the cities of Florence and Myrtle Beach took matters into their own hands by ing hate crime ordinances. Anyone convicted of a hate crime in those cities will face fines and jail time.
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