Did Horry police defame man accused of child sex crimes? Trial delayed due to jury issues
Attorneys depleted their jury pool earlier this week during the start of a defamation trial against the Horry County Police Department and Solicitor’s Office.
The civil trial is based on a lawsuit by Anthony Strickland, who was arrested in 2016 and accused of child rape and abuse.
The inability to seat a jury on Monday has now pushed the case back. It’s unclear when a new trial will be set.
In 2019 the 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office announced it was dropping the child sexual abuse charges against Strickland. Strickland sued the police department and solicitor’s office in January 2021.
When a jury pool was being selected on Monday, potential jurors were asked whether they could be fair and impartial to someone accused of child sexual abuse. All or many of the jurors said they could not.
4 arrested in 2016 for sex crimes against children
Strickland and three other people — Panteleimon Spirakis, Lindsey Honeycutt, Ambrose Heavener — were arrested in 2016 and accused of child rape and abuse. Police said at the time the four sexually exploited a 4-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl by forcing them to have sex with each other and adults.
Spirakis previously pleaded guilty and is serving 20 years in prison. He has requested a new trial.
Heavener was sentenced to 15 years in prison on an Alford Plea, which means Heavener claimed innocence but admits the evidence against him would result in a conviction.
Honeycutt was also sentenced to 15 years in prison. Honeycutt and Heavener were in a relationship, according to police reports.
The abuse was alleged to have occurred at Pearls, a strip club in Atlantic Beach, according to what Honeycutt told police. But police investigated Chez Joey, in Myrtle Beach, based off the children’s testimony through a North Carolina investigation.
Strickland was a manager at Chez Joey, and Honeycutt worked there.
Police department, Solicitor’s Office ask for judgment without trial
The judge has taken two motions for summary judgment made by the Solicitor’s Office and the police department under advisement.
A summary judgment is a motion for the judge to make a decision on the case based on statements and evidence without going to trial.
It’s unclear when a new court date may be set.
The Solicitor’s Office declined a request for comment.
According to a deposition of lead investigator HCPD Detective King Hemmingway, Pearls was never investigated.
He also changed his mind throughout the deposition, stating at first he believed Strickland was guilty and then going back, according to court records.
“Given the information I’m being told today, I don’t think any of the information would sway my opinion to him being guilty,” Hemmingway said.
According to the 2019 letter released by the 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office detailing why it was dropping charges against Strickland, the state didn’t have enough evidence to move forward and none of the co-defendants would detail Strickland’s involvement.
“A jury trial for co-defendant Edward Ambrose Heavener was scheduled for July 2019. Ms. Honeycutt was expected to testify at that trial, and I was interested to hear if her testimony would implicate Mr. Strickland in any way,” the release reads.
The release from the solicitor’s office also indicates that evidence of Strickland’s involvement came from jailhouse informants who had spoken to Honeycutt while she was incarcerated.
“Such accusations are the modern-day equivalent of ‘The Scarlet Letter,’ and carry with them shame, scorn and ridicule unlike any other crime,” a statement filed by Strickland’s legal team said.