Courthouse incident lands man in jail
Published 6:06 pm Monday, August 15, 2016
A Washington man is in jail for the next week after attempting to push his way past Beaufort County Courthouse security guards.
According to Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Charlie Rose, Tyler Hardison, 21, of Cherry Run Road, was coming to the courthouse Monday for a speeding ticket, but once he arrived, he attempted to push past the security guard downstairs after the guard asked him to empty his pockets.
“He got into a tussle with a security guard and one of the bailiffs heard what was happening,” Rose said. “He was a bit of handful.”
The incident prompted a security guard to call 911 and drew the attention of two sheriff’s office bailiffs, as well as a school resource officer who was assigned as a bailiff to the courthouse that day, Rose said.
“There were several other deputies that arrived,” Rose said, adding that there was no fight, and that deputies were “mainly trying to get him under control.”
“The guy appeared to be impaired,” Rose said. “I didn’t smell any alcohol, but he was definitely impaired on something.”
One deputy was sent to hospital to check out an elbow injury, Rose said.
Hardison was charged with simple assault, four counts of assault on a government official and four counts of resisting, delaying or obstructing an officer. As he was being processed, he was charged with contempt of court by the magistrate and ordered to seven days in jail at the Beaufort County Detention Center, a period of detainment set at the discretion of the magistrate, Rose said.
Hardison is also the suspect of vehicle hit and run, as witnesses saw Hardison’s truck traveling the wrong way up West Second Street, a one-way street, and it is believed he may have hit at least one vehicle, Rose said. Washington Police Department is investigating the hit and run.
Beaufort County Clerk of Court Marty Paramore said sheriff’s office deputies responded within seconds to the incident.
“For all of us, it turned out really well,” Beaufort County Clerk of Court Marty Paramore said. “Everybody worked together really well. I think they prevented a situation in the courthouse by doing the work they do.”