COLUMBIA, S.C. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has charged a Blythewood man with threatening the life of a public official, accusing him of mailing letters that referenced a silencer, the official’s workplace and where the official’s children attend school.
Dewayne Simmons, 57, was charged Thursday, June 4, with threatening the life, person or family of a public official, SLED announced Friday. He was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County.
State law treats such threats as a felony when they are tied to an official’s public duties. SLED has brought similar charges in several South Carolina counties over the past year.
What the warrant alleges
According to the arrest warrant, Simmons wrote communications to the victim between Feb. 12 and April 15 and used the United States Postal Service to deliver the letters. The warrant says the letters contained details about the victim’s everyday life, places of employment and children’s school.
One letter referred to potential vantage points near the victim’s workplace and to the use of a silencer, according to the affidavit signed by SLED Special Agent Kyle J. Radford. Another letter stated that the victim’s “loved ones were reachable” and warned that the victim would receive “the same street justice” as others, the affidavit says.
SLED did not name the official, and the victim’s identity is redacted in the court records. The offense occurred in Richland County, according to the warrant.
The charge
The charge falls under South Carolina Code Section 16-3-1040, which makes it unlawful to knowingly and willfully convey a threat to take the life of or to harm a public official, teacher or principal when the threat is directly related to their official duties. A conviction under the relevant subsection carries a fine of up to $5,000, up to five years in prison, or both.
Richland County Magistrate Josef Malcolm Robinson issued the warrant. The case will be prosecuted by the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, which covers Richland and Kershaw counties.
Simmons is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. Further proceedings will be scheduled through the Richland County court.
SLED publishes its news releases at www.sled.sc.gov.
