SC welfare check leaves Columbia man with a kidnapping charge, deputies say
A Columbia man was arrested following a welfare check after deputies found a female victim inside an apartment, according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.
Tevon Demarcio Durham, 25, was charged with kidnapping and first degree domestic violence, according to a news release.
The charges stem from a third party requesting a welfare check on a woman Saturday. When deputies arrived at an apartment on Jacobs Road in Seneca, they overheard an argument ensuing inside between a man and a woman, the release said.
The woman answered the door and upon further investigation, deputies learned that Durham had prevented the female from leaving the apartment by blocking the bedroom door with his body and by grabbing and holding her in his arms, according to the release.
He had also taken the woman’s cellphone, preventing her from calling 911, the release said.
The incident occurred off of Highway 123, just over the bridge from Clemson.
Durham was booked into the Oconee County Detention Center, where he was granted a $50,000 bond on both charges, the release said.
Durham will be required to wear an ankle monitor, as a condition of bond, upon release from jail, according to the release.
