Sidney Moorer, charged with murder in the Heather Elvis case, to move to Florida for work

In an order filed Tuesday, Myrtle Beach resident Sidney Moorer, who is charged in the Heather Elvis case, has been granted permission to move to Florida, according to court records.

Circuit Court Judge Markley Dennis signed the order Aug. 27 and it was filed Tuesday with the Horry County Clerk of Court allowing the 39-year-old to move to the state for work.

Moorer remains under home detention monitoring and must provide the following to those officials: his new home address; name of employer; work address; verification of his employment; and waive any extradition from the state of Florida in the event of a violation of bond, according to the order.

Moorer must also check in with home detention officials at their discretion and at least once a month pay fees and undergo any required drug tests, the order showed. He must also notify officials if his address or employment status changes, which could result in a violation of his bond.

Moorer and his 43-year-old wife, Tammy Moorer, were each charged in February 2014 with murder and kidnapping in connection with 20-year-old Heather Elvis’ disappearance. The couple were each released in January on $100,000 bail following a hearing before Dennis in Charleston. Restrictions on their bond included GPS monitoring, they stay five miles away from the home of Heather Elvis’ parents and report to court.

Those conditions are still in effect.

Elvis, who was 20 at the time, was reported missing Dec. 19, 2013, after Horry County police found her car, which was registered to her father, parked at the Peachtree boat landing. Elvis’ keys, cellphone and purse were not found in the locked car and she remains missing.

On Aug. 6, the couple appeared before Dennis for a bond modification to allow them to travel to Florida for a week for a job interview.

Sidney Moorer, who is a vendor for restaurant repairs for national chains, said he had an interview in Orlando, Fla., and Dennis allowed the couple to go for a week.

Also in the order, Dennis said he had allowed Sidney Moorer to go into bordering states of South Carolina for work, but had to check in with home detention officials every two weeks.

During the Aug. 6 hearing attorneys did not name the company that Sidney Moorer had an interview with out of fear that company officials would receive numerous calls about him working there.

Officials with the case could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

In March 2014, Circuit Court Judge Steven John issued a gag order, which prohibits any prosecutors, defense attorneys or their staffs and members of law enforcement, who have investigated the case, to speak publicly or release documents regarding the case.

“They have really been struggling financially. All we are asking is so he can work to earn a living,” Sidney Moorer’s attorney Kirk Truslow said during the Aug. 6 hearing in Charleston. He also said pretrial publicity in Horry County made it difficult for the Moorers to find work in the area.

Horry County’s home detention “can monitor him anywhere in the country,” Truslow said during the Aug. 6 hearing.

Tammy Moorer was also allowed to leave with her husband, whom she helps with his restaurant repair business, the couple’s attorneys said.

During the Aug. 6 hearing, attorneys said the couple had not violated their bond restrictions since being released.

It also remains unclear when the case may be called for trial again. A trial date was set for May, but it was postponed.

During a March 17, 2014, bond hearing for the couple, prosecutors pointed to cellphone records and video surveillance to build their case against the couple. But defense attorneys said the evidence is circumstantial, with no link to tie the couple to Elvis’ disappearance.

During that hearing, Circuit Court Judge Steven John denied to set bond for the couple on the charges of murder and kidnapping.

On March 21, 2014, an Horry County grand jury indicted the Moorers on the murder and kidnapping charges, according to court records. The couple also face two counts of indecent exposure and one count of obstructing justice, according to court records.

In June 2014, state officials charged the couple with making a false statement on an application for Medicaid and obtaining a signature or property under false pretenses with a value of $10,000 or more, authorities said.

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 1:29 PM with the headline "Sidney Moorer, charged with murder in the Heather Elvis case, to move to Florida for work."