Columbia officer charged in sexual assault had past criminal charge. What his record shows
A now-former Columbia Police Department officer charged with sexual assault had been charged with a crime in the past while working for the department.
Friday, Columbia Police Department announced that it fired Officer Keith Ryan Williamson after state agents charged him with third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Williams is accused of sexually assaulting an “incapacitated” victim in October, state agents said.
A little more than 10 years prior, Williamson could have had his police certification stripped from him, ending a career that had barely begun, thanks to a criminal charge then.
Williamson began his career as a police officer at the Columbia Police Department in March 2010.
Sometime around the fall of 2011, Williamson was charged with driving under the influence, according to his Criminal Justice Academy records.
The Criminal Justice Academy director wrote to then-Columbia Police Chief Randy Scott informing him of Williamson’s DUI charge and said it was up to Scott if Williamson’s police certification would be suspended.
Barring a reply to his letter, the director said Williamson’s certification would automatically be suspended in 90 days.
Since it’s required that officers have a driver’s license and no serious driving offenses, Williamson could have been taken off patrol or even fired if found guilty of driving under the influence.
That November, the Columbia police chief responded to the criminal justice academy letter. Prosecutors did not pursue Williamson’s DUI charge and, instead, he pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
The chief requested that Williamson keep his police certification.
OFFICER’S CAREER
The rest of Williamson’s police record is unextraordinary.
The Columbia Police Department hired him in March 2010, and he gained his police certification five months later.
He received training over the decade in responding to human trafficking and domestic violence as well as learned how to deal with people with mental illness.
In 2016, The State wrote an article about bicycle mounted officers in the Columbia Police Department. Williamson was one of the officers that patrol north Columbia on bike.
Before his firing on Friday, Williamson had worked his way up to being a sergeant, the department said. He worked the metro region, which mainly patrols Columbia’s downtown.
If found guilty of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, Williamson could be sentenced to 10 years in prison.
This story was originally published March 18, 2022 at 4:33 PM.