Ex-Conway man who allegedly burned cross facing Black neighbors’ home faces federal charges
A former Conway man who allegedly erected a cross facing his Black neighbors’ home and then set it on fire will now face federal charges for violating his neighbors’ rights.
Worden Evander Butler, 31, was indicted on two counts of interfering with the housing rights of his Black neighbors and using fire to commit a federal felony, according to a press release Wednesday from the United States Attorney’s Office in South Carolina.
The indictment alleges that on Nov. 24, 2023, Butler made a series of Facebook posts about his nextdoor neighbors, including that he would give “his racist neighbors . . . a good scare for the health. With a cross in the lawn.” Butler uploaded photos of the victims’ home, vehicles, and mailbox to his social media, the release said.
Butler then allegedly set up a cross in his backyard and set it on fire.
“Every family in America has a right to feel safe in their own homes,” U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina said in the release. “Defendant Butler’s actions threatened this fundamental right. This office will continue to protect South Carolinians’ fundamental rights.”
Facing federal charges
Butler faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. He was arrested in California and will make an initial appearance on April 22 in the Eastern District of California. Butler will be arraigned in the District of South Carolina in May.
Butler, along with his then girlfriend, Alexis Hartnett, allegedly directed a burning cross at his neighbors Monica and Shawn Williams on Thanksgiving.
Butler did not face more serious charges because there is no hate crime law in South Carolina. The Palmetto state and Wyoming are the only states in the country without a hate crime law.
The Williamses had previous problems with Butler and Hartnett, including Hartnett shouting racial slurs and Butler acting aggressive and possessive over the property line, Monica Williams said in a previous hearing. The Williamses live in Charlotte, North Carolina, full-time but in 2021 bought a house along Corbett Drive to be their future retirement home, The Sun News previously reported.
Butler and Hartnett were kicked out of the home in 2024 after a judge deemed the house a public nuisance and no one was allowed to enter. In October, the same judge changed the ruling to allow Janet Butler, Worden‘s mother and the property owner, to come into the house.
