Orangeburg detainee attacks nurse, is charged with kidnapping and assault

A man being held by Orangeburg authorities on burglary charges attacked a nurse on January 1 at a local hospital where he had been taken for x-rays, Orangeburg County Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said in a news release.

County Magistrate Maree Williamson denied bond for Bryan Pierson, 28, on the new kidnapping charge saying she felt the “safety of the people of Orangeburg County” would be at risk.

The incident occured after 5 p.m. on New Year’s day. Pierson allegedly grabbed the nurse from behind and put “her into a choke hold restricting her breathing and her movement,” the incident report stated. The nurse told investigators Pierson “also was twisting her head sideways.”

Correctional officers on scene during the incident subdued Pierson with a taser. An examination of the nurse’s injuries corroborated her account of events, Ravenell said.

Pierson was charged with kidnapping and first-degree assault and battery after Friday’s assault at the Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg.