Police arrest Conway man for digging up a public roadway. Now he’s suing Horry County
A Conway man has filed a lawsuit against Horry County officials claiming he was falsely arrested for digging up a public roadway.
Kenneth Joe Jordan claims that on March 17, Horry County police arrested him on a warrant that alleged he had instructed someone else to dig up Hubs Lane in Conway using an excavator, according to the suit filed Aug. 8. The suit says that Jordan didn’t dig up the roadway and had no involvement in the digging.
Mikayla Moskov, spokesperson for Horry County, said by text Thursday that the “county does not offer commentary on substantive matters related to pending litigation.”
Jordan, 50, of Conway, was charged with malicious injury to tree or house and trespassing on real property with a value of $2,000 or more, according to online booking records. Jordan posted a $1,000 bond and was released from the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.
The suit says that Jordan had a jury trial on the charges on July 27 and was found not guilty.
The suit claims that officers and county employees were “negligent, reckless, willful and wanton” in arresting Jordan. Jordan says that he was humiliated and suffered emotional mental distress from the arrest and is asking for damages and costs, including attorney’s fees, for malicious prosecution, false arrest, false imprisonment, slander and conspiracy, the suit says.
Jordan’s attorney, Gene Connell Jr., said Wednesday that police should have gotten their facts straight before they made the arrest. He said the defense has a photo of a person on the excavator and it’s not Jordan.
Jordan is asking for a jury trial in the matter.
This story was originally published August 18, 2023 at 9:20 AM.
