Neighbors wonder if couple at center of S.C. cross-burning will return home
HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - One neighborhood is asking what’s next as the couple who once lived at the site of the Conway-area cross-burning can now return home.
The Horry County Police Department said they no longer have the power to stop Worden Butler and Alexis Hartnett from returning to Corbett Drive since the one-year temporary injunction has expired.
Now, it’s up to neighbors to report any issues.
One neighbor who wanted to remain anonymous said it’s been quiet on Corbett Drive, but they are on the edge of their seat to see if the couple will return.
Hartnett’s attorney told WMBF News that she will never return to the property. However, it’s still up in the air for Worden, according to his mother’s attorney, Christopher Helms.
Possible impacts of S.C. energy bill bring optimism and concern
The state’s growing population strikes concerns for state leaders about the future of energy, but a bill addressing the issue has an organization concerned for impacts on residential ratepayers.
“A lot of people want to know if he is moving back in,” Helms said. “I don’t know the answer to that, honestly. I think it’s a personal decision.”
A Horry County judge evicted the couple one year ago, declaring the home a nuisance.
The ruling came after Worden and Hartnett allegedly spent years threatening and harassing neighbors, mailmen and even children.
Worden recently burning the cross in 2023, which faced the home of his Black neighbors, Shawn and Monica Williams, after a property line dispute.
The Williams family said they are hoping the people who left them scarred never return.
“We are still dealing with the traumatic ripple effects as a result of the cross-burning,” Shawn said.
S.C. father blames bullying for son’s suicide, on quest for school ability
A Dorchester County man has started a mission to demand that schools do more to protect students from bullying after he lost his teenage son to suicide.
“We’re praying that they will not come back,” Monica said. “This has been a lot of turmoil for us and our entire family.”
Helms said Worden’s mother, Janet Butler, who owns the home, has cleaned up the property since she got her keys back in October after a judge ruled allowing her back in the home.
Helms said Janet is ready to move on and understand her son cannot return to his old ways.
“Miss Butler would like to continue on with things the way they were before all of this came to fruition,” Helms said. “She loves the area. She’s been here a long time, but I can say with the utmost confidence that it’s understood that the behavior as it was happening before cannot continue. I think everybody is on the same page with that.”
A judge ordered Monday that Worden can not cause a nuisance, whether at the home or elsewhere, or he could be held in contempt, facing fines and jail time.
Hartnett is due in court on her harassment charge next month.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
