Orangeburg County couple suing after encounter with police officers

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WCBD) – An Orangeburg couple is suing the Towns of Holly Hill and Santee after they say they were forced out of their house in the middle of the night at gunpoint, handcuffed, and held unlawfully by the town’s police departments. The couple’s attorney says they want answers nearly two years later.

“Mr. Glover and Ms. Codie Fuller were kidnapped that morning, 2:30 in the morning they were kidnapped,” says Justin Bamberg, the couple’s attorney. “They were held against their will at gunpoint.”

On August 2nd, 2020, Shane Glover and Codie Fuller were ordered out of their house at gunpoint just after 2 am by multiple officers.

“And they ordered these people out of the house, outside of their lawful jurisdiction – in their underwear,” says Bamberg. “They handcuffed them and marched them into the front yard.”

Court documents from the lawsuit allege Holly Hill Officer Jermaine Smith had asked Fuller inappropriate questions about her relationship with Glover the day before. Glover then called a non-emergency dispatch line for the department asking to speak with Officer Smith. The cops showed up at their Orangeburg County house hours later in the middle of the night.

Another concern raised by Bamberg and his clients: they say officers arriving at the couple’s house were beyond their jurisdiction and showed up illegally without a search warrant.

“Santee, absolutely absurd,” says Bamberg. “Had no business being over there. No one calls Orangeburg County; no one calls SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division), or anyone like that.”

Dash cam and body cam video show the couple being detained and questioned for several minutes. At one point while being detained, an officer asks Glover about puppies he had for sale. The couple would be released without incident shortly after.

“Puppies,” says Bamberg. “Their lives were put in danger over puppies. Two years later, those puppies are gone, and we’re still waiting to see what happens.”

The lawsuit alleges Glover and Fuller suffered mental and physical injuries following the interaction and are seeking action against the involved officers. Bamberg says legislative changes need taken to prevent similar encounters with police in the future.

“We’re just looking for accountability here; we’re looking for a decision to be made,” says Bamberg. “You know, it’s been two years.”

News 2 has reached out to the town’s police departments; we are waiting to hear back.