Beaufort County deputy returns to policing after domestic violence charge dismissed, officials say
More than three months after the arrest of a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputy, a domestic violence charge against him has been dismissed.
Sgt. Jacob Scott was arrested by the Port Royal Police Department on March 9 and charged with second-degree domestic violence following a domestic dispute with his girlfriend in their apartment.
The Sheriff’s Office immediately suspended Scott with pay, placed him on “limited duty” and conducted an internal investigation, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Maj. Bob Bromage said at the time.
A Beaufort County judge dismissed the domestic violence charge against Scott at a preliminary hearing, a report from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy shows.
It was not immediately clear what factors the judge considered when dismissing the charge against Scott.
Following the dismissal, the Criminal Justice Academy voted Monday to reinstate Scott’s license to be a law enforcement officer, academy spokesperson Florence McCants said.
Scott remained on limited duty as of Wednesday, Bromage said.
The March arrest
The night Scott was charged, his girlfriend told officers he threw a baby gate at her, threw her on the floor and bent her arms behind her like police do when arresting people, according to an initial incident report from the Port Royal Police Department.
She said her son witnessed some of the fighting before it became violent and that Scott had shoved and threatened her in the past, the report said.
Days after Scott’s arrest, his girlfriend told police she wanted to recant her statement, according to supplemental report. She wanted the charges dropped, she said, adding “they probably should have both gone to jail.” The initial investigation noted that Scott and his girlfriend both “appeared to be intoxicated to some degree.”
