Settled excessive force suit one of few blemishes on record of cop who killed Longs man
On Aug. 4, 2013, Teko Washington was driving to his home in Florence when he noticed police lights behind him.
Whitney Benton, a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper, was trying to stop Washington for speeding, a federal lawsuit states. The lawsuit, filed in 2016, claims Benton used excessive forced when he tased and handcuffed Washington.
Benton’s conduct has come under scrutiny after he shot and killed Tristan Vereen on Sept. 11, 2021, in Longs. Vereen had been running from Benton and tased the trooper during a physical fight before he was shot in the chest, according to videos released by law enforcement and information provided by the Horry County Solicitor’s Office.
Other than the lawsuit and one disciplinary action for misconduct in more than a decade on the job, Benton’s personnel file, obtained by The Sun News, includes consistent good remarks.
The excessive force incident was not mentioned in the personnel file obtained by The Sun News. Capt. Kelley Hughes with the South Carolina Highway Patrol told The Sun News that if Benton had been disciplined for the incident it would have been in his personnel file.
Benton, who is an 11-year-veteran of the highway patrol, has consistent satisfactory performances on his performance reviews, including working well with other troopers, being a leader, having a flexible schedule and having a good attitude. In his most recent review for the time period of April 2020-March 2021, he was instructed to “stay aggressive in traffic enforcement and criminal patrol.”
The one blemish for disciplinary action was in reference to homophobic remarks he made to a man he arrested.
Personnel file complaint
Logan Holler had been pulled over by Benton multiple times already, according to a complaint filed by Holler and his mother. The first was on April 4, 2013, because Holler was driving under the influence of alcohol. On July 15 Benton again pulled over Holler, this time for a cracked windshield. He then discovered the car was unregistered and Holler was using a relative’s license plate.
When Benton asked Holler to step out of the car, he noticed his toenails were painted and, while pointing at them, asked, “you got everything you need for your nails?” While handcuffing Holler, Benton was also spitting tobacco, which he was disciplined for.
At the jail Benton commented to Holler, “home sweet home. Seems like we’ve seen this movie before, haven’t we? Maybe it’ll be your last.”
Once inside the jail Benton asked Holler if he was “wearing girls jeans,” the complaint states.
Benton was written up for the “inappropriate and unprofessional remarks” and for using tobacco products on the job. It is not clear how Benton was disciplined for his actions.
Excessive force lawsuit
Washington was pulling into his driveway and “made the poor decision” to run away from the trooper because he had a small amount of cannabis in his pocket, the lawsuit states.
He grabbed the keys from his car, jumped out and ran into his backyard. He climbed a 6-foot fence and as he crested the top, he felt a shock in his neck and lower back.
Washington fell from the fence, unable to control his body, and landed on his neck, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit states he heard a crack and could not move his body. Washington lay face-down with his arms under his body as Benton climbed over the fence and yelled for him to turn over. Washington was having trouble moving, the lawsuit states and Benton “aggressively grabbed his hands and placed them behind his back.”
Benton called EMS for Washington while making fun of him for faking his injuries, which the lawsuit claims he was not. At the hospital, Washington was treated for spinal cord injuries. At the insistence of Benton, Washington was transported to jail instead of undergoing normal medical procedures, the lawsuit states.
When he was released from jail, Washington had surgery for his spinal cord injuries and suffered permanent injuries to his wrists and back, the lawsuit states.
The case was settled after mediation, according to federal court records. Benton paid an unspecified amount of money to Washington, who in turn dropped the suit.
After the incident, Benton “allowed his exemplary work ethic to decline to unsatisfactory levels in half of the measured categories of activity,” according to a 2015 performance review. Overall the trooper’s review was successful.
The issue of his work ethic was not mentioned again in future reviews and Benton received a commendation from a woman whose car had broken down in 2012. The trooper, who was off-duty at the time, stopped to help the woman who wrote a letter to SCHP thanking him. The letter was included in his personnel file.
Staff writer Jenna Farhat contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 4:20 PM.
