House Searched in South Carolina as Part of Civil Rights Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a search of a house in South Carolina on Wednesday as part of an ongoing criminal civil rights investigation involving allegations of racial discrimination.
During the search, individuals identified as Butler and Hartnett, who are both White, were present outside the residence.
This action was taken in response to an incident of cross burning that occurred on the same street as the searched house.
For more information, please visit the CBS News affiliate WBTW website.
During a police interview recorded on a body camera, a woman named Hartnett repeatedly used a racial slur towards her neighbor's family. Despite being ordered by the police to return to her home, she ignored their commands. Following an alleged cross-burning incident, a man named Butler posted his neighbor's address on social media. In his post, he claimed to be summoning the devil's army and expressed his indifference towards the consequences, stating that he was willing to go down with them. He also mentioned his intention to make them pay for their actions and complained that the neighbors would come to start fights with him during holidays. The police clarified that this statement was in reference to the fact that the neighbors' property was a second home that they only visited occasionally.
Arrest warrants were issued for the couple on Nov. 24, and they were arrested Nov. 30. Hartnett was charged with harassment in the second degree and third-degree assault and battery, according to online records. Butler was charged with harassment in the second degree. Both were released on Dec. 1, according to the records.
The arrest warrant noted that Hartnett had said in a police interview that she had killed a Black woman in the past. No further information about that incident was available.
South Carolina is one of two states without hate crime laws based on race, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, according to WBTW, but the criminal civil rights investigation being undertaken by the FBI is federal. The FBI is the primary federal agency responsible for such investigations.
According to an FBI news release, the agency is working with the U.S. Attorney's Office and local and state partners on the investigation.
