ORANGEBURG — Armed officers from two small-town police departments roused a couple from their bed and unlawfully detained them in August 2020 based on a personal vendetta, according to a pair of lawsuits filed earlier this week.
The couple's lawyers released body- and dash-camera footage Aug. 3 that shows the trio of armed officers driving up to the Orangeburg County residence of Shane Glover, who was there with his girlfriend Codie Fuller.
Holly Hill police officers Jermaine Smith and Jacob Bolen, along with Santee police officer George Chappell, arrived at the home around 2 a.m. Aug. 2, 2020. They shouted at the couple to come outside and placed them in handcuffs while their child was asleep inside the residence, according to the suits.
The officers were operating outside their lawful jurisdiction at the time and did not have warrants, the suits allege.
Police video shows officers with guns drawn approaching the home of Shane Glover and Codie Fuller. A lawsuit claims officers with the Holly Hill and Santee police departments wrongfully detained and handcuffed the couple at their Orangeburg County home after 2 a.m. in August of 2020.
Glover and Fuller each filed personal-injury lawsuits Aug. 1 in the 1st Circuit Court of Common Pleas against the towns of Holly Hill and Santee. The suits allege Smith and the other officers showed up to the home to "flex" on Glover after he made perceived threats against Smith.
All three officers used their department-issued cars, weapons and uniforms to detain the couple, according to the lawsuits. They did not have arrest or search warrants for Glover or Fuller, nor was either of them charged with any crimes during the encounter.
Neither police department contacted the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office, which has jurisdiction over the area, for assistance.
The Sheriff's Office asked the State Law Enforcement Division on Aug. 4, 2020, to investigate the allegations, SLED spokeswoman Renée Wunderlich said.
"The case is open and active," she said. "Thus, no further details are available at this time."
The lawsuits allege Smith and the officers went to Glover's house after a rift developed between Glover and Smith.
Glover tried to speak with the Holly Hill officer Aug. 1, 2020, after seeing him at a gas station. He wanted to talk to Smith about inappropriate comments the officer had made to Fuller, according to the suit. Smith was also apparently interested in puppies Glover had in the back of his truck.
Glover called 911 in advance, telling dispatchers “he knew Smith was a police officer and that he did not want anything bad to happen to him when he approached Smith to talk,” according to the suit.
Smith drove off before Glover was able to make contact with him. Hours later, the officers were placing the couple in handcuffs.
The footage shows the three officers arriving at the couple's home early the next morning in their marked patrol cars. One of the officers approaches the house first, his semi-automatic rifle drawn. He knocks on the door and shouts, "police department!"
The other two officers, armed with handguns, walk up behind him and form a spread-out triangle.
"Let me see your hands," shouts one officer in the video. "Put your hands out the window."
The officer asks Glover and Fuller to come outside and "get on the ground," the video shows. The unarmed couple is handcuffed and led to the patrol cars. Glover is left standing outside while Fuller is eventually placed inside one of the cars.
A still from police video shows Shane Glover and Codie Fuller handcuffed after being forced from their home in 2020. The couple has filed a lawsuit. Provided
Smith is heard asking Glover, who is wearing only underwear, if he was "making threats," which the man denies.
"It's all recorded, man," Smith says, rifle still in hand. "They say you were looking for me."
Two neighbors come out of their homes to speak with Glover and the officers. Glover and Smith argue over the alleged threats Glover made toward the officer, which Glover repeatedly denies.
"You've got to expect consequences," one of the officers is heard telling Glover.
The officers eventually uncuffed both Glover and Fuller. They were not charged with any crimes.
Smith, Bolen and Chappell are no longer employed by their respective police departments, according to training reports from the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy.
Chappell lost his law enforcement certification in May as a result of misconduct allegations, the documents show. He is accused of lying to higher-ups about being late for work and having to submit to a random drug test. The Santee Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Holly Hill Police Department fired Bolen in March for violating agency policy not involving misconduct, according to the documents.
The Berkeley County Sheriff's Office hired him as a deputy in June. Deputy Chief Jeremy Baker said he wasn't aware of the pending SLED investigation involving Bolen or the lawsuits. When Baker called Holly Hill officials to ask about Bolen's departure, he was told they'd had a "disagreement" over a court matter, Baker said.
Smith resigned in June 2021 from the Holy Hill Police Department to work for the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office, records show.
The Sheriff's Office conducts background checks when hiring new employees, spokeswoman Shalane Tindal said Aug. 4. Officials weren't aware of the allegations against Smith or the active SLED investigation, she said.
Smith received employee of the quarter in March for his job performance, Tindal added. He's been placed on administrative duties pending the conclusion of SLED's investigation.
Holly Hill Police Chief Josh Detter said his department does not comment on pending litigation, but criticized the plaintiffs' lawyer.
"It's a shame that someone like Justin Bamberg can grandstand and twist facts," Detter said. "We look forward to the truth coming out in the court process."
Bamberg called the incident a "felony raid" during an Aug. 3 press conference.
“Shane Glover and Codie Fuller were kidnapped that morning, held against their will at gunpoint by people wearing a law enforcement outfit,” he said. “They were acting under the color of state law, but they had no lawful authority to do that.”
Police misconduct undermines efforts to unite civilians and law enforcement to improve public safety, the lawyer said.
Attempts to reach Smith, Bolen and Chappell were unsuccessful.
Editor's Note: This article was updated Aug. 4, 2022, to include comments from the Colleton County Sheriff's Office.
