SC Highway Patrol trooper fired after arrest in Lexington County assault, cops say
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety fired a trooper after he was arrested on multiple charges.
John Paul “J.P.” Batista, 27, was charged with aggravated assault and destruction of property or vandalism following a Friday night incident, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
On Saturday, Batista was fired, DPS spokeswoman Sherri Iacobelli said. Batista had been a trooper with South Carolina Highway Patrol since May 2019 and was stationed in the Midlands with Troop 1, according to Iacobelli.
At about 11:30 p.m. Friday, a sheriff’s deputy responded to a call about the incident at a home on Riglaw Circle, according to an incident report. That’s near the intersection of South Lake Drive and Platt Springs Road, about a mile from White Knoll High School.
A man told the deputy he was at the residence on a date and was standing in the driveway when Batista stopped and asked what the man was doing there, the incident report said.
Batista, an Irmo resident, was off duty when he questioned the man, Iacobelli said. But the former trooper had his badge clipped to his waist and was wearing a Highway Patrol baseball hat, according to the incident report.
When the man told Batista he was there on a date, he said the former trooper grabbed him around the neck and pushed him against the man’s truck, causing him to hit his head on the Chevrolet Silverado, according to the incident report.
The man told the deputy that Batista then pulled out a knife and pointed it him, “as if any moment (Batista) was going to stab (him),” the incident report said.
That was when the man said he wrapped his arms around Batista and tackled him, at which point the man hit his face on the ground, but was able to restrain the trooper’s arm to prevent him from using the knife, according to the incident report.
The man said the woman who lived at the home came outside and yelled at Batista, creating a diversion allowing him to get loose from the trooper, the incident report said.
Authorities have not said whether Batista and the woman know each other.
The deputy who responded to the call confirmed the man had scratches on his neck, swelling on his right cheek, in addition to redness and swelling on his lower back.
The deputy also said there were smudge marks on the side of the Chevy where the man said he was pushed against it, and a knife puncture mark on a tire that was flattened, according to the incident report.
Batista was arrested Saturday, according to Iacobelli.
On Sunday, the former trooper was not listed as an inmate at the Lexington County Detention Center. Information on his bond was not available.
Batista had no previous disciplinary actions with DPS, Iacobelli told The State.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published March 21, 2021 at 11:21 AM.
