Former SC deputy charged with assault after officials say he Tasered suspect 17 times
A former Pickens County deputy has been charged with assault after being accused of using his Taser 17 times on one suspect.
The incident happened Aug. 30, 2021, on Pace Bridge Road in rural Pickens County.
Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark requested the State Law Enforcement Division investigate the incident.
The agency routinely investigates incidents like officer-involved shootings and use of force incidents at the request of law enforcement departments around South Carolina.
SLED filed assault charges against James William Trotter, as well as misconduct in office, after conducing their review of this incident in Pickens County. SLED agents arrested Trotter on Tuesday.
As of Thursday, jail records show Trotter was no longer being held in Pickens County Detention Center.
Chief Deputy Chad Brooks of the Pickens County Sheriff Office said Trotter responded to a report of a man in the road. Brooks said the referral to SLED came after officials reviewed the dash cam video of the incident.
Trotter had worked for the Sheriff’s Office for 11 years and had no prior incidents, Brooks said. Trotter was once a firefighter, but Brooks did not know where.
