A South Carolina couple have been arrested after allegedly burning a cross outside their black neighbors’ home in what police believe was a racially-motivated crime.
Worden Butler, 29, and Alexis Paige Hartnett, of Conway, Horry County, have been charged with second degree harassment over the shocking incident, which officers say made retired couple Shawn and Monica Williams fear for their lives.
On November 24, the Caucasian couple allegedly erected a burning cross facing the Williams’ home on Corbett Drive, prompting Horry County Police and Fire Departments to rush to the scene.
Hartnett, who works as a crystal healer according to her social media profiles, is accused of ‘using racial slurs, threatening bodily harm and referencing having killed a black woman in the past’ on Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile, Butler allegedly shared the address of the Williams – who are also both veterans – on Facebook, saying he was ‘summoning the devil’s army’ to their home.
Worden Butler, 29, and Alexis Paige Hartnett, of Conway, Horry County, have been charged with second degree harassment over the shocking incident which officers say made their black neighbors fear for their lives. (Pictured: the accused couple)
Alleged victims Monica and Shawn Williams (pictured together speaking with WCNC) said their neighbors had repeatedly called them the N-word and made them fear for their lives
Hartnett and Butler live in a run-down bungalow (pictured) on Corbett Drive, according to the police report about their shocking alleged hate crimes
After being taken into custody at J. Reuben Long Detention Center on November 30, Hartnett appeared expressionless in her booking photo, while Butler looked dazed and disheveled.
The alleged incidents unfolded on November 23 when Butler began speaking with Monica Williams about work she was having done on her family home.
Butler entered the property with Hartnett to ‘try and intercede into the work being done’, before ‘yelling racial slurs’ at Williams ‘in reference to her being black’, according to the police report.
Williams asked why he was calling her names and Butler responded by calling her ‘crazy’, before forcing Hartnett back into their own bungalow next door, according to the warrant.
But the following night tensions escalated when the crazed couple ‘erected a cross’ in their yard facing the Williams’ home.
When Horry County Police and Fire Department responders turned up, Hartnett ‘repeatedly used a racial slur towards the victims’ family’ which was caught on police bodycam footage, according to the warrant.
Police say her words ‘intended to cause the victims the fear of assault, bodily injury and/or death’ and that the couple’s behavior was becoming ‘more frequent and threatening’.
On November 24, Butler also shared a photograph of Williams’ mailbox on Facebook, with their address clearly legible on it.
He wrote in the caption that he was ‘summoning the devil’s army and I don’t care if they and I both go down in the same boat’.
‘I’m about to make them pay,’ Butler said in the sinister spiel. ‘They come on holidays to start a fight with me,’ he added, referencing them staying in their property as a retirement home.
Hartnett and Butler have been granted bail. The alleged victims, who must continue to live alongside them, described the pair as ‘dangerous’ and slammed their release pending trial as ‘unbelievable’
Hartnett (pictured) who works as a crystal healer according to her social media profiles, is accused of ‘using racial slurs, threatening bodily harm and referencing having killed a black woman in the past’ on Thanksgiving this year, according to her arrest warrant
The couple are both charged with second-degree harassment, while Hartnett faces an additional charge of third-degree assault and battery, according to online records
Monica Williams said Butler and Hartnett had used ‘the N-word over and over’ against her and her husband, telling them they ‘need to get out of here’.
‘It’s been traumatic for my whole family because they had to witness this,’ she told WCNC.
The distressed homeowner described Butler as ‘dangerous’, describing the decision to grant the couple bail as ‘unbelievable’.
‘We feel like he means business when he wants to do harm,’ she said, adding that the couple behaved like they lived in ‘the dark ages’.
Shawn Williams said they bought their home as a retirement residency two years ago, but they’ve been plagued by constant torment from their neighbors to the point where they’re considering moving away.
‘It’s a place I’m supposed to be able to relax, but I can’t relax in an environment where I have to be constantly aware,’ he told WCNC.
‘I don’t want it to happen to anyone, on any side of the fence,’ he added. ‘The issue of safety and security has been broken; the issue of fear and intimidation is now in play.’
South Carolina is one of two states in the US without a law allowing extra punishment for hate crimes, which are leveled against people based on their race, religion, gender, or other background.
Horry County Police Department Chief Joseph Hill slammed the alleged actions of Butler and Hartnett as ‘appalling and unacceptable’.
The Williams spoke with WCNC Charlotte about the ‘traumatic’ experience. Monica Williams said Butler and Hartnett had used ‘the n-word over and over’ against them, telling them they ‘need to get out of here’
‘The actions of the perpetrators of the incident over Thanksgiving weekend are appalling and unacceptable,’ Hill said.
‘Such hate and harassment will not be tolerated in Horry County.
‘The individuals responsible will be held accountable for their actions and the hurt they have caused the victims and the greater Horry County community.
‘In concert with our local and regional partners, we will pursue justice to the fullest extent of the law.
‘We will continue to support the victims and stand with them against such indecency. Hate and harassment have no place in Horry County’.
The couple are both charged with second-degree harassment, while Hartnett faces an additional charge of third-degree assault and battery, according to online records.
Hartnett’s age was redacted from police reports, but Nexis records suggest she is 32.