Maysville, SC council member arrested for threatening mayor

In Maysville, a small Midland town, a councilman was arrested and charged with threatening the mayor’s life in July. Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest comes months after what law enforcement officials describe as an escalating pattern of harassment against Mayor Jarlene Holliman-Miller.

Councilman Terrence Reginald Wilson, 56, was charged with threatening the life of a public servant and third-degree assault and battery, the sheriff’s office said in July.

On Monday, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster Wilson was fired because the crime he was charged with involved “moral turpitude.”

The suspension was issued after a grand jury convened Oct. 6 and Wilson was charged with threatening the life of a public servantPursuant to the Governor’s Executive Order.

Under South Carolina law, moral turpitude refers to “something immoral in itself, whether or not punishable by law as a crime,” according to the executive order.

“Wilson is suspended until he is formally acquitted, convicted, or until a duly elected successor is qualified and sworn in,” McMaster’s executive order said.

In a video released to law enforcement and posted on Facebook, Maysville’s newest city council member can be seen getting out of a red and black pickup truck and approaching the mayor’s office, shouting his name.

“The building has to be locked down,” Wilson yelled through a glass to Patina Calhoun, a local businesswoman who was inside with the mayor and took video.

“Are you recording me at all?” It won’t do any good,” he said as he walked out of the building.

As Wilson turned to leave, he stopped and yelled, “Bang! Bang!” The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said he was impersonating a gun.

“I’m a bad man, girl,” Wilson yelled out the truck window before driving off.

According to law enforcement, Wilson was ordered to post a $6,000 bond on both charges and was given a court-ordered no-contact order requiring him to stay away from the mayor outside of City Council meetings.

“He threatened my life,” Calhoun, the business owner who filmed the encounter, told the State.

Wilson has been described as having run a disruptive campaign against the mayor over the past year. According to Maj. Terrance Stewart of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Wilson has made multiple appearances at the mayor’s office since the beginning of the year. Stewart said law enforcement also had to attend City Council meetings because of Wilson’s behavior.

Mayesville is a historic town in northeastern Sumter County. According to the 2020 census, its population was only 674 people. The offices of Mayor and Councilor are not full-time.

This story was originally published July 2, 2022 1:48 PM.