Atlantic Beach police chief fired after charges dismissed

A judge dropped charges against Atlantic Beach Police Chief Timothy Taylor, but the town decided Monday to fire him in the wake of a domestic incident.

Taylor’s termination is effective Monday, according to the Town of Atlantic Beach. In a news release, the town said Officer Quentin Robinson will serve as the Interim Chief of Police for the Town of Atlantic Beach Police Department.

On Monday night, Taylor said he would have a response Tuesday to his termination.

The town said it will begin a search for a new police chief within the next two weeks.

A police report says Taylor went to a home on S.C. 905 to pick up his children on Sept. 1, but became “irate” after being told he couldn’t. The report states Taylor said “he can’t live like this anymore” and allegedly pulled a gun out and pointed it at his head.

The town placed Taylor, 31, on administrative leave with pay following his arrest on Sept. 7, when he turned himself in to Conway police. The incident was reported on Sept. 5, according to a police report.

In the news release, the town said, “After an internal audit review of the Police Department’s operations, Chief’s Taylor status was changed to Administrative Leave without pay on September 22, 2017.”

The victim told authorities she feared for her safety and the children’s, according to the report.

He was arrested and charged with one count of domestic violence, first degree and one count of unlawful conduct toward a child, but those charges were dismissed at a preliminary hearing on Oct. 20, records show.

Jimmy Richardson, 15th Circuit Solicitor, said the state argued “vehemently” for the charges to be moved to general sessions court for trial, but the judge dismissed them.

Taylor was named as the Atlantic Beach police chief in August 2014.

Town Manager Benjamin Quattlebaum told The Sun News the town had been weighing the decision to keep Taylor on since the charges were dismissed on Oct. 20.

Richardson said the case is nontraditional in terms of alleged domestic violence incidents.

A woman who answered the phone at Taylor’s attorney’s office said his lawyer is not commenting on the case.

Taylor has no previous arrests or charges in South Carolina, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.

This story was originally published October 30, 2017 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Atlantic Beach police chief fired after charges dismissed."