FLORENCE COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – A judge has set bond for former Florence County Sheriff’s Kenney Boone, who is accused of using a baseball bat to hit a cat and other items.
Boone appeared in court Tuesday afternoon, where a judge set bond at $10,000. The judge also ordered that Boone not have any contact with victims.
The probation officer will decide if Boone will be required to have electronic monitoring.
Boone is set to appear in court again on March 5 and May 1.
Warrants obtained by News 13 allege that Boone “while brandishing a baseball bat, he offered to cause physical harm or injury to his wife in the presence of or while being perceived by a minor child, thereby creating reasonable fear of imminent danger.”
The warrants also allege Boone “hit a cat with a baseball bat inflicting unnecessary pain and suffering upon the animal.”
This is a developing story. Count on News13 for updates.
UPDATE: 12:05 P.M. TUESDAY
FLORENCE COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – Former Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone used a baseball bat to hit a cat and other items, says an incident report obtained by News13.
Law enforcement responded to the Vintage Drive area around 4:20 p.m. Sunday for a domestic violence incident, according to the report from the Florence County Sheriff’s Office. Boone’s wife told police that he came home intoxicated and they began arguing. Boone then allegedly began throwing items inside the home, before going outside and getting a baseball bat from his car and returning to the home. Boone is then accused of swinging the baseball bat inside the home, hitting a cat, furniture, a potted plant and the floor.
One of Boone’s children also told police that Boone threatened to hit law enforcement officers with the bat, according to the report.
Boone, 53, was booked into the Florence County Detention Center at 11:41 a.m. Tuesday on charges of domestic violence- 2nd degree and ill treatment of animals in general, torture, according to booking records.
Count on News13 for updates as we work to learn more.
UPDATE: 10:15 A.M. TUESDAY
DARLINGTON COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – Booking information for former Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone has been updated, including a new booking photo.
As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center booking records for Boone list his charge as violation of probation.
Boone is expected in court Tuesday.
Count on News13 for updates.
FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Former Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone was arrested Monday and taken to jail.
Online booking records show Boone was booked into the W. Glenn Campbell Detention Center at 7:30 p.m. and charged with criminal domestic violence – 1st degree and violation of probation. Boone appeared to smile in his booking photo.
Officials with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirmed his arrest to News13. SLED tells us the agency was asked by the Florence County Sheriff’s Office to assist in “dealing with an incident involving former Sheriff Kenney Boone”.
The sheriff’s office told News13 that deputies were on the scene of Boone’s home. No other details are immediately available. News13 was the first to report Boone’s arrest.
Last month, then-suspended Florence County Sheriff Boone pleaded guilty to misconduct in office and embezzlement charges, and was officially removed as Sheriff by Governor Henry McMaster.
At that time, Boone received a jail sentence of five years suspended to one day already served. He also received five years of probation and was forced to pay about $17,000 in restitution, and attend substance abuse counseling.
At that time, while the judge said he considered Boone’s crimes a serious matter, he said he took into account Boone’s history of public service and cooperation with the investigation into account.
Boone said he was sorry for any wrongdoing, and said it felt good to take responsibility.
In November, News13 reported that a grand jury returned additional indictments against Boone for one charge of misconduct in office and three counts of campaign ethics violations. This was in addition to the one count of misconduct in office and two counts of embezzlement Boone was charged with in May.
In May, we reported that Boone would be removed from state Criminal Justice Academy documentation as head of the sheriff’s office.
In April, Boone was given a $50,000 bail and placed on house arrest during a bond hearing. Boone’s house arrested was lifted in early May. A grand jury had indicted Boone in April on charges of embezzlement and misconduct. The indictment alleged Boone used both county and federal funds allocated to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office for his own personal use.
Boone has also made headlines in recent years for other incidents.
In February 2019, News13 obtained a scathing e-mail sent by Boone to members of Florence County Council, accusing members of ‘underhanded tactics’, ‘wasteful spending’, and negligence.
In August 2018, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office reviewed dramatic voicemails sent by Boone to the finance director of Florence County.
“Kevin, this is Kenney Boone. You call me back immediately. If I don’t get a phone call back, I’m gonna send a deputy around your house or wherever you are to find you’re a- – . Call me now!”
The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office said after reviewing the voicemails, the office did not meet the requirements for criminal charges.
“They may have been unprofessional and rude, but that’s different from being able to prove in court, beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed,” Attorney General’s Office spokesperson Robert Kittle told News13 previously. “It came close, and we were certainly concerned, and we left the channels of communication open if anything happens in the future, but we decided that it was not a crime.”
The voicemails were left after the finance director questioned several travel forms Boone turned in for a Myrtle Beach conference because Boone requested two hotel rooms for himself and another room for then-former (now current) Sheriff Billy Barnes.
Boone was first elected as Florence County Sheriff in 2004, taking office in early 2005. He was re-elected in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
Count on News13 at wbtw.com for updates as we continue to follow new developments surrounding Boone.
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