Columbia police officer charged with sexually assaulting ‘incapacitated’ victim
A Columbia Police Department officer was arrested Friday and accused of sexually assaulting an “incapacitated” person, according to state agents. He was fired from the department shortly after his arrest.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division charged Keith Ryan Williamson with third-degree criminal sexual conduct stemming from an assault in October.
In October, Williamson was close to his 12th year with the Columbia Police Department.
About Oct. 30 or 31, Williamson “accomplished sexual battery with the victim and had reason to know that the victim was incapacitated at the time of the assault,” according to his arrest warrant.
Evidence for his arrest came from interviews with Williamson, the victim, medical records, digital records and other sources, the warrant says.
Agents jailed Williamson at Lexington County Detention Center, where he remained as of Friday afternoon awaiting a bond hearing.
Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook fired Williamson Friday after his arrest, citing improper conduct by the officer.
Williamson had been suspended prior to his arrest, the department said.
The investigation into Williamson began when an unspecified person filed a complaint in October against Williamson with the Columbia Police Department, investigators said. The person alleged Williamson had acted criminally.
Columbia police immediately informed SLED investigators about the allegation against Williamson, the department said.
When officers are accused of crimes, the employing police agency typically asks SLED to investigate, as was the case with Williamson.
Internal investigators at the Columbia Police Department looked into the allegation and decided to suspend Williamson until the SLED investigation concluded.
Williamson was a sergeant in the department’s metro division, which patrols most of downtown Columbia.
The South Carolina code of laws says that one standard for third-degree criminal sexual conduct is when “the actor knows or has reason to know that the victim is mentally defective, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless and aggravated force or aggravated coercion was not used to accomplish sexual battery.”
Williamson could go to prison for 10 years if found guilty of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
This story was originally published March 18, 2022 at 3:38 PM.