Ex-police chief gets 15 years in ‘depraved’ SC sextortion scheme

A man who was once responsible for putting criminals in jail will now spend the next 15 in a federal prison.

William Parker was sentenced Thursday for what attorneys described as a “depraved and disgusting” scheme to coerce sex from at least two unsuspecting women. Parker, 67, had once served as police chief of the Lexington County town of Pine Ridge from 2011 to 2017, capping off a 40-year career in South Carolina law enforcement.

Last October, Parker pleaded guilty at the federal courthouse in Columbia to making an interstate threat with the intent to extort, and to cyberstalking resulting in serious bodily injury.

He admitted that between February 2021 and February 2022, Parker used a phony email account and a “burner” cellphone to send threatening messages to two women. He threatened to harm them or their families if they did not reply with pornographic images and videos of themselves.

The women sought Parker’s advice on the messages, not knowing he was the one sending them. Parker advised them to comply, claiming that he could get the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to track the messages. The mysterious sender of the threatening messages then demanded the women film themselves having sex with Parker.

In once instance, the victim went through with the demand. Parker told the woman they would “fake” having sex for the camera but then forced himself on her. In another instance, the woman went as far as appearing nude on camera before backing out and taking her suspicions to police.

Parker’s attorneys, Steve Hisker and John Meadors, asked Judge Cameron Currie for a five-year sentence, potentially served in home confinement. They argued that Parker had cooperated with law enforcement and taken full responsibility for his actions. Hisker feared that at Parker’s age, any longer would effectively be a life sentence.

“I’m not sure if he’ll survive 60 months, but he certainly won’t survive 210,” Hisker said, referencing the maximum federal guideline for Parker’s most serious charge. “I’d like him to have the opportunity to die in his own community.”

But prosecutor Elliott Daniels said Parker’s age, position and law enforcement history made his actions more, not less, heinous. “I’ve seen people in court with drug addictions, criminal histories and few options,” Daniels said. “That’s not Billy Parker. He of all people knew better.”

It was because of Parker’s history in law enforcement that his victims sought out and followed his advice, Daniels said. They believed him when he told them to take the threatening messages seriously, not to go to the police, and that he was in touch with SLED on their behalf.

“They believed him because of his long and storied career in law enforcement,” he said. “If he had been in sales or an electrician, he would not have been able to drive these victims to himself.”

The defense touted Parker’s 40-year career in law enforcement, saying it was unblemished. They also cited extenuating circumstances: injuries Parker received in the line of duty, which he continues to deal with today; an extended period of childhood sexual abuse detailed in a statement to the court; and the trauma of a 2019 incident when he had to shoot his son when the younger man attacked him while on drugs.

Parker’s attorneys argued that these past triggers, coupled with the loss of his identity when his law enforcement career ended and the stress and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, led Parker to a period of “darkness” that caused his mental health to deteriorate.

Dorri Smith, who has counseled Parker since his 2022 arrest, described him as a “broken and battered man” dealing with a “dormant mental illness” dating back to his childhood abuse, for which he was never treated.

Parker’s pastor and a fellow police officer spoke of him as an upstanding citizen and member of his community who sincerely regretted his actions and wanted to make amends.

But Parker’s actions showed a long and deliberate plan to exploit his victim’s trust, prosecutor Daniels said. He bought some of his burner phones as far back as the summer of 2020. He systemically contacted six victims in total, exploiting known vulnerabilities as well as making explicit and graphic threats against them and their families.

Parker’s age also shouldn’t count as a mark in his favor, the prosecution said. “He is a dangerous offender now,” Daniels said. “He was 65 when he committed the crimes. These are not offenses from decades ago.”

Parker, dressed in a blue jailhouse jumpsuit with his hands chained around his waist, took responsibility for his actions in a statement to the court.

“I have done horrible things to people I love,” Parker said. “I pray every day for their healing and that some day they can forgive me. ... I have hurt my family in ways that may never be repaired.”

The former police chief said finally getting counseling has made his life and mind much better and more clear. When he and his attorney recently reviewed the threatening messages he sent, “I threw up,” Parker said. “I’m not that monster.”

Judge Currie ultimately said her 15-year sentence was in line with federal sentencing guidelines, but she declined to impose the maximum 20-year sentence due to his history of abuse, his lengthy law enforcement career, his “honest” expressions of remorse and his age.

The judge said she had been kept awake at night from reading the threats Parker made against his victims.

“These six victims have been put in a situation they will not recover from,” she said. “Two of them have had extensive counseling that will probably last the rest of their lives.”

In addition to the prison time, Parker must pay $10,000 in restitution to his victims, serve three years of supervised release after his sentence, accept restrictions and monitoring of the use of any computer or electronic device, and undergo a “psycho-sexual evaluation.” She said he will likely serve his sentence at a federal facility in Petersburg, Virginia.

Court filings in the case identify Parker using the aliases “John Wayne” and “Willie Boner.” He has been held in a South Carolina jail since his guilty plea in October.

Parker was arrested in Lexington County in 2022 and charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct and attempted criminal sexual conduct by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office. Those charges, which carried a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, were dropped as part of Parker’s federal guilty plea.

As he was led out of the courtroom, members of Parker’s family called out “I love you” from the gallery. He turned toward them and silently mouthed “I’m sorry” with a pained expression on his face.