http://www.wspa.com/spa/news/local/arti ... ers/18484/Bounty Hunters Found Not Guilty On All Charges
Video
Photo
Advertisement
Text size: small | medium | large
STAFF
Published: June 10, 2009
**Update Wednesday 6/10**
The jury has found all defendants not guilty on all charges
**Update Tuesday 6/9**
The defense has rested its case without calling a single witness in the trial of four bounty hunters accused of assaulting a man inside his home and pointing guns at his family.
During testimony, prosecutors had a surprise for the court Tuesday morning. A SLED agent read statements he took from three of the defendants. According to his testimony, while two of the men told the same story about approaching Donald Carson, a third bounty hunter said all four of the men surrounded Carson and “restricted his movement until they could positively identify him.“ He said three of the, were armed with handguns and one of them had a shotgun loaded with beanbag rounds.
Donald Carson took the stand Tuesday morning.
He stood up in front of the jury and used the prosecutor to demonstrate how he says two of the bondsmen grabbed him and assaulted him. At the time of the incident, David Mark Beaver, Keith Markum, Walter Currier and Steve Philbeck worked for Beaver Bail Bonding in Shelby, NC.
Meanwhile, defense attorney Theo Williams tried to show inconsistencies in the stories of family members who were inside the apartment at the time. Carson’s fiance’s daughter testified that she saw only one of the bondsmen grab Carson. And she testified that he took Carson to the ground, which directly conflicts with Carson’s own testimony. And his fiance’s son testified that the two bounty hunters who came through the backdoor were not the same two that Carson said came through the backdoor.
In February 2006, Donald Carson was at his fiance’s apartment when he says the men forced their way in with weapons drawn, shoved him against a wall, held a gun to his head, and said they had warrants for his arrest - while his grandchildren looked on. He says he was finally able to show them his ID and prove he was not the man they were looking for.
When Spartanburg Public Safety would not file charges against the bondsmen, Carson took his case to the Attorney General’s office. He argued that the bondsmen violated South Carolina law when they crossed state lines because they do not have a license to operate in SC. He says they also had no right to bring weapons into his home. The AG’s Office agreed with him and state agents arrested the bondsmen in 2007.
The judge released the jury late Tuesday afternoon and they will report back at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning to begin deliberations. A verdict is expected.
Monday video report from trial included in this story
