CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Assault and battery charges against a former Horry County employee were dropped, and subsequently expunged from his record, according to court documents.
Steven Richard Ingate, Jr., 27, of Conway, was accused of climbing into bed with a woman and attempting to touch her while she was sleeping, according to an Horry County Police report.
The victim told police that she was asleep when Ingate came into the bedroom and attempted to touch her. The 22-year-old victim says “she pushed [Ingate’s] hands away and she leaned into the witness’ body to try to get her to wake up.”
The report states a witness told police that she was sleeping in the same bed as the victim following a party at an apartment on 101 Fountain Pointe Lane in Myrtle Beach Sunday morning around 3:45 a.m. The witness said she woke up when the victim pressed against her leg, the report says. The witness told police that when she woke up, Ingate was no longer in the room.
The victim told police that she was scared and didn’t say anything when Ingate attempted to touch her. She was taken to South Strand Medical Center to be examined after telling police she was in pain and “might have sustained injury from the incident,” according to the report.
According to documents from the office of Jimmy Richardson, Solicitor for the Fifteenth Judicial Court, charges against Ingate were “dismissed because the victim is unavailable.” A preliminary hearing was held June 3, 2016, where no probable cause was found in the case, according to case history notes from Horry County Central Jury Court.
Horry County Spokesperson Lisa Bourcier says Ingate served as an E911 telecommunicator from October 11, 2010 through April, 18, 2016. Bourcier would not comment on whether Ingate was terminated or resigned from his position.
Assault and battery first degree charges against Ingate are dismissed.
