SLED charges two SC police officers with domestic violence this week
For the second time in three days, state agents have arrested a Spartanburg police officer for domestic violence.
Thursday, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division charged Spartanburg Police Department Officer Dejuan Tremaine Shell, 25, with second degree domestic violence.
Wednesday, Shell got into a physical fight with a woman who he has a child with, according to an arrest warrant. During the fight and in front of their child, he shoved the woman, injuring her, the warrant said.
Tuesday, SLED charged another Spartanburg County police officer with second degree domestic violence.
Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office deputy Blake Jeffery Barton, 35, pushed and punched his wife in their home in front of their children on Monday, according to an arrest warrant. His wife was in “fear of imminent peril” and “fear(ed) for the safety of herself and her minor children,” the warrant said.
Agents jailed Barton and Shell at the Spartanburg County Detention Center where a judge released them on bond, court records showed. The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office will prosecute the cases against them.
Barton and Shell didn’t have attorneys publicly listed for comment.
Second degree domestic violence is a misdemeanor punishable with up to three years in prison and fines.
In April, The State reported on the disturbing amount of SC police officers who were charged from 2010 to 2020 with violence against women mostly in the form of domestic violence. On average, nine months out of every year, a police officer was arrested for violence against a woman.
This year, 10 SC police officers have been charged with violence against women, including six with domestic violence and two with rape.
This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 4:34 PM.