Ex-Columbia policeman charged with sex crime of person in custody, SC cops say
A former officer with the Columbia Police Department, who was charged with multiple crimes earlier this year, was arrested again Monday on new charges from a separate incident, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
And it’s possible there could be more incidents involving the former police officer where the victims have yet to come forward, according to SLED.
In the most recent arrest, 27-year-old Elgin resident Caleb Oshia Hickmon-Payne was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct and misconduct in office, SLED said in a news release. On March 12, Hickmon-Payne was charged with second-degree assault & battery as well as another count of misconduct in office, according to the release.
The new charges are connected to a 2024 incident when Hickmon-Payne, who was on duty, is accused of a sex crime involving a person who was in his custody, arrest warrants show.
2024 incident
On Sept. 6, 2024, Hickmon-Payne “did engage in sexual battery with the victim ... an arrestee in his custody,” according to an affidavit.
Hickmon-Payne had arrested the victim on a DUI charge after they were involved in a collision, the affidavit said. Rather than taking the victim directly to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center or police headquarters, Hickmon-Payne drove his police department patrol vehicle to a dark area behind a Lexington/Richland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council facility at 2711 Colonial Drive in Columbia, according to the affidavit.
At the facility, Hickmon-Payne parked the vehicle and turned off the headlights and GPS before getting out and removing the handcuffed victim, the affidavit said.
The victim said that Hickmon-Payne then removed the handcuffs and had sex with them, according to the affidavit.
The victim elaborated, saying that Hickmon-Payne told them that he could make the “charges go away,” the affidavit shows. Conversely, the victim said they had the impression that Hickmon-Payne would not do that if they did not have sex with the officer, according to the affidavit.
The victim said they were scared of Hickmon-Payne, because the 6-foot-2, 325-pound officer was much larger than them, the affidavit shows.
Hickmon-Payne then took the victim to be booked, according to the affidavit.
During the incident, Hickmon-Payne intentionally deactivated his in-car camera and his body-worn camera, the affidavit said.
Information about the status of the DUI charge against the victim was not available.
Hickmon-Payne was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center Monday, according to SLED. Information about his bond was not available, and Hickmon-Payne is not currently listed on the jail’s inmate roster.
He will be prosecuted by the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
2025 incident
The March charges stem from a separate incident that happened Jan. 31.
Following a traffic stop by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department on Jan. 31, it was discovered that the woman who was a passenger in the vehicle had an active Columbia Police Department bench warrant. Deputies alerted police, and Hickmon-Payne responded, taking the woman into custody, Police Chief Skip Holbrook said in March.
Information about why the woman was wanted and the status of that charge was not available.
From the traffic stop, Hickmon-Payne returned to police headquarters to retrieve and complete paperwork relating to the woman’s warrant, Holbrook said.
Hickmon-Payne then began his trip to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, with the woman in custody.
But Hickmon-Payne didn’t take the woman straight to jail and failed to report his beginning and ending mileage during the transport, Holbrook said. What should’ve been a 19-minute trip from police headquarters to the jail took Hickmon-Payne 41 minutes. In addition, he deactivated his body-worn and in-car cameras during the trip, according to Holbrook.
Holbrook did not say where Hickmon-Payne took the woman en route to the jail.
In early February, the woman reported to officers that Hickmon-Payne had assaulted and propositioned her for a sex act, providing them with a detailed account of the encounter. On Feb. 6, Holbrook suspended Hickmon-Payne without pay.
On Feb. 7, Columbia Police Department internal affairs “began reviewing dispatch records, radio transmissions, body worn and in car cameras and vehicle GPS locator equipment,” Holbrook said, leading to Hickmon-Payne being fired, as SLED conducted its independent investigation.
Hickmon-Payne’s bond was set at $1,500 on the combined charges from the March arrest, Richland County court records show. His bond was both posted and set on March 28, according to court records.
Kingstree attorney Cezar McKnight is listed as Hickmon-Payne’s lawyer, court records show.
Lawsuits
The woman has since filed a lawsuit against the City of Columbia, the Columbia Police Department and Hickmon-Payne, The State previously reported.
In the lawsuit, the woman, who’s being represented by the Shealey Law Firm, alleged the city, police department and former officer were responsible for gross negligence and recklessness, violation of due process under the 14th Amendment, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress, after she was sexually assaulted by Hickmon-Payne.
“This is every woman’s worst nightmare,” attorney Elizabeth Dalzell said during a March news conference. “He eventually drove her to a dark, secluded parking lot off of Bluff Road and sexually assaulted her while she was handcuffed.”
Dalzell and the Shealy Law Firm are also representing a “Jane Doe” who filed a lawsuit against both the City of Columbia and Hickmon-Payne on Tuesday, Richland County court records show. This lawsuit is separate from the one filed by the woman who was a victim in the 2025 incident.
More victims?
SLED investigated the 2024 incident at the request of the Columbia Police Department. SLED did not say that Hickmon-Payne is being investigated for any other incidents, but left open the possibility that there could be other victims.
Anyone with information involving Hickmon-Payne can call SLED at 866-472-8477 and/or email tips@sled.sc.gov.
Holbrook previously said that Hickmon-Payne was hired by the Columbia Police Department on Dec. 27, 2022. Holbrook has since vowed to ensure that Hickmon-Payne never serves as a police officer again.
“I apologize to the citizens of Columbia and everyone who wears this badge,” Holbrook said in March. “I can assure you that this does not represent the men and women who make up the rank and file of this department. We are a department that demonstrates professionalism, accountability, fairness, impartiality and constitutional policing every single day.”
Staff reporter Javon Harris contributed to this story.
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