PICKENS COUNTY — Pickens County Sheriff Tommy Blankenship had a stern message for local residents warning how posting and sharing unverified “news” on social media can escalate potentially dangerous situations, referencing a recent incident on Hollingsworth Drive.
“Retired Admiral William McRaven writes in his book ‘Conquering Crisis’ that one of the first rules of any crisis is understanding that the initial reports are rarely correct. A video clip from the first camera on scene, or a social media post without verification does not establish facts,” he said. “Citizens sharing those unvetted narratives does not help law enforcement — and last night, it actively endangered everyone involved. Our objective is always a peaceful resolution and misinformation works directly against that goal.”
Blankenship attested his office has been consistent with sharing updates to the public when they are appropriate and safe to release and that “tagging me and the office online demanding updates does not create information.”
“If there is a public threat, I will notify you. If there is a resolution, I will notify you. And if there is an update that can be shared, without compromising safety of our mission and our deputies, I will notify you,” he said. “Until then, patience is not optional, it’s necessary.”
Social media speculation and misinformation escalates situations and harms the community, he said.
According to Blankenship, the incident on Hollingsworth Drive stemmed from a prior incident where an individual attempted to gain entry to a secured area where children were present at East Pickens Baptist Church and had to be physically restrained by church security.
Following that, and in contact with a family friend about the individual’s mental health and alleged drug abuse, a judge signed an order of detention, he said.
When deputies arrived to serve the order, the individual and a female ran inside of a home and locked the door, Blankenship said. Deputies established a perimeter and attempted to call him out, he said.
“At that time, information received at the scene led deputies to believe that the female may have been held against her will, raising the possibility of a hostage situation,” he said. “That determination justified the significant law enforcement presence and the request for the assistance of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) tactical resources and negotiators in an effort to pursue a controlled and peaceful outcome.”
It was later determined the female had left the residence and there was no hostage situation, he said. SLED was released.
“Given the volatility of the situation driven by the mental health concerns as well as being intensified by public and media attention, I made the executive decision to allow the scene to deescalate over-night while maintaining a law enforcement presence in the area to protect the community,” Blankenship said. “That decision was made deliberately and with the safety of everyone involved as the priority.”
The Sheriff said he consulted with mental health professionals as well as community members experienced with crisis intervention.
The suspect was taken into custody the following morning following a “brief physical encounter” with deputies.
No weapons — lethal or non-lethal — were used, Blankenship said.
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