‘He needs to stay where he is.’ Richland man in hate crime case to remain in jail

A 34-year-old white Richland County man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a federal hate crime charge violating the housing rights of a Black neighbor and a separate charge of using a firearm in a crime of violence.

No bond was set for Jonathan Felkel of the Spring Valley gated community by Magistrate Judge Paige Gossett. He will continue to stay behind bars.

Felkel, a slim man with a short beard who was wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, has been held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, unable to make the $1 million bond set by a county magistrate last summer. He was charged last July with the state crimes of possession of a weapon during a violent crime and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and with violating the county’s hate crime ordinance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elle Klein told reporters after the hearing she requested the magistrate judge deny bond because prosecutors felt he was a “danger to the community, and he should remain detained through the resolution of this case.”

The federal indictment in the case alleges that Felkel, on July 17 “while driving into the gated community where both he and J.M. lived, fired a gun and shouted at J.M., ‘You better keep running, boy!’ while J.M. was standing at the gate to the community.”

Video by Spring Valley security captured the incident on tape and the Richland County sheriff’s department quickly brought state charges, as well as a misdemeanor county hate crime violation, against Felkel.

Spring Valley, an upscale development of hundreds of wide yards and large houses north of Columbia, prides itself on being the “premier secure community in Northeast Columbia, SC. Our custom homes are spread out over 1200 acres of rolling hills and mature landscaping, with many homes bordering the prestigious Spring Valley Country Club or one of eight lakes,” according to its description on the internet.

If convicted on the federal charges, Felkel faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the housing charge, and an additional 10 years in prison on the firearms charge.

Felkel’s lawyer, Charles George of Mount Pleasant, walked by reporters, saying “No comment! No comment!”

But Tyler Bailey, a Columbia attorney who represents the alleged victim in the case, Jarvis McKenzie, told reporters outside the federal courthouse that his client wants Felkel kept behind bars until the case is resolved. Earlier this month, McKenzie revealed his identity during a press conference at Bailey’s office.

“He’s worried about Felkel being released from jail. His family still lives in that neighborhood. He fears for the safety of his daughter, himself along with his fiancée,” Bailey said.

McKenzie did not appear in court Tuesday. “Jarvis is trying to take some time and enjoy the holidays,” Bailey said. “He wishes he could be here. If there’s a hearing at a later date, he’ll be there.”

At Tuesday’s court session, Felkel waived his right to a detention hearing where he could protest the denial of bond. However, he retains the right to ask for one at a later date.

Tuesday’s hearing was uneventful but significant for the fact that even though the state of South Carolina has no hate crime law, the federal government is ready to step in and bring that charge in certain cases.

A federal public hearing being held in a hate crime case also contrasts with the yearslong lack of action by the majority white S.C. Legislature to pass a hate crime law of any kind. South Carolina is one of a handful of states in the nation without a hate crime law.

Emphasizing the importance the federal authorities give to the case was the presence Tuesday of U.S. Attorney for South Carolina Bryan Stirling and his First Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Crick in the courtroom audience. Normally, they do not attend the many criminal hearings held in federal court around the state each month.

Stirling thanked both the FBI and Sheriff Leon Lott, whose agents and deputies are investigating the case.

Speaking of Felkel, Bailey summed the case up this way: “He needs to stay where he is.”

This story was originally published December 30, 2025 at 1:54 PM.