York officer charged with child abuse waives extradition
For years, police officers Jeff Taylor and Audrey Schurig appeared on the side of prosecutors in court. On Monday, the couple accused of abuse and neglect, causing brain and neck injuries to their 3-month-old son, wore prison clothes and appeared as defendants in a Charlotte courtroom.
Taylor and Schurig, both of Rock Hill, were arrested Friday and spent the weekend in the Mecklenburg County Jail while waiting for a first court appearance.
Taylor, 45, who resigned from the York Police Department before his arrest, is charged with abuse to inflict great bodily injury on a child and child neglect. The charges carry as much as 20 years in prison if convicted.
The former York police corporal and sergeant with the Rock Hill Police Department waived extradition back to York County from North Carolina on Monday and could be in a York County courtroom as early as Tuesday.
Schurig, 36, on administrative leave without pay as a sergeant with the Chester Police Department, is charged with unlawful neglect. She did not waive extradition Monday and could remain in jail in Charlotte for several more days.
The couple was arrested by Charlotte-Mecklenburg authorities after a State Law Enforcement Division investigation. According to a search warrant, Taylor and Schurig took their son, Jaxon Jennings Taylor, to Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill in February with brain and neck injuries. The child was then flown to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, where he remains hospitalized.
Before Mecklenburg County District Court Judge Karen Eady-Williams on Monday, Taylor said only, “I’ll waive extradition.” He gestured to his family in the courtroom but said nothing else before being taken back to jail.
Taylor’s lawyer, Jim Boyd of Rock Hill, was not in court Monday and could not be reached for comment later.
Schurig told the judge, “My attorney has advised me not to waive at this time.” She made eye contact with her family in the courtroom before being led back to a holding cell.
Her attorney, David Lange of Charlotte, said she wants to be released on bond on the extradition warrant so she can turn herself in to York County officials. He told the judge he hoped to have the extradition handled within a couple of days.
Lange also told Eady-Williams that the S.C. Department of Social Services has launched a probe into the incident. Schurig wants to attend DSS hearings in Family Court in York County, he said. Allegations of abuse and neglect brought by DSS are not public records, and DSS court hearings are not open to the public.
“Hopefully we can get bond quickly,” Lange said after Monday’s hearing, declining further comment.
Taylor could be taken to York County at any time, Eady-Williams said. It remains unclear if his first appearance before a York County magistrate would be at Rock Hill Municipal Court or at York County’s Moss Justice Center.
The Rock Hill Police Department asked SLED to investigate the case because Taylor worked there before his time with the Lancaster and York departments, SLED spokesman Thom Berry said.
It is unclear how many years Taylor worked in Rock Hill, police spokesman Mark Bollinger said, but he did work there for several years.
Schurig worked for the York County Sheriff’s Office before her time with the Chester Police Department, sheriff’s spokesman Trent Faris said, but it was unclear Monday how long she worked there or in what capacity.
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This story was originally published March 9, 2015 at 2:35 PM.