Jury selection set in case of questionable Myrtle Beach raid that left a man paralyzed
In 2015 Julian Betton was left paralyzed after a questionable police raid at his Myrtle Beach home — in early 2020 he might get his day in court.
A recent order by a federal court judge set Jan. 8 as the start of jury selection to hear the civil case between Betton, Myrtle Beach and one of its officers.
The trial date was included in a court order filed by a federal judge this week that set the timetable for final matters before the case is heard.
Betton sued the City of Myrtle Beach, Officer David Belue, 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Richardson and other Drug Enforcement Unit officers over the April 2015 raid. The DEU is a multi-jurisdictional task force Richardson leads that investigates drug activity in the Grand Strand.
DEU officers got a warrant to go into Betton’s home after he sold small amounts of marijuana. Officers entered the residence without knocking or announcing their arrival and used a battering ram to knock down the door. Betton was coming out of a different room, and officers shot him.
The defendants initially claimed they knocked and announced their presence, but video footage from security cameras on Betton’s front porch showed that was not the case, according to court paperwork. Betton said the gun was at his side, while Belue contended he pointed the gun at them.
Officers claimed Betton shot at them, but testing showed his gun was never fired.
Some of the defendants settled with Betton for $2.75 million. The case against Belue and the city remains active.
A federal judge determined that the DEU often didn’t announce themselves before they used search warrants to enter homes. An appeals court also found that a jury could decide the DEU used unreasonable force when it raided Betton’s home.
The sides also filed with the court lists of potential witnesses and evidence to be presented during the trial. Betton is expected to testify as are police officers that participated in the raid. There could also be video evidence introduced, including body camera footage.
