MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A suspected assault victim ended up being who police say was one of four people caught with several types of drugs Thursday.
In Myrtle Beach city court, judge Glenn Ohanesian denied bond on trafficking charges for Vincent Boyer, Keith Galloway, Barbara Lund and Miranda Leavens on Friday afternoon. Galloway also faces an third-degree assault and battery charge.
The Myrtle Beach Police Department searched for Leavens on Thursday morning, after saying on Facebook that she was an assault victim. When they found her shortly afterwards, it eventually lead to a drug investigation.
Police say they searched a room at the Palace Resort on South Ocean Boulevard. There, investigators say they found 26.1 grams of crystal meth, several digital scales and a trace amount of heroin mixed with fentanyl.
Leavens was arrested, along with the three others. Galloway is accused of punching Leavens while outside the hotel and shoving her from behind, causing her to fall onto the pavement.
MBPD posted on Facebook on Friday afternoon to clarify what happened.
“She didn’t know what was going on,” Galloway said in Friday’s bond hearing via video conference. “She shouldn’t be in this.”
Galloway told the judge Leavens was innocent.
“We only had been in that room maybe five minutes before we got a phone call, saying what was going on,” said Galloway. “The only reason she’s up here, that’s my best friend, only reason she’s even up here is because of me. She had nothing to do with nothing. Wrong place, wrong time.”
After reviewing the four’s records, with only Leavens lacking a criminal history, judge Ohanesian denied bond on trafficking, which the state considers a violent crime.
“The nature of the behavior alleged in the warrants and in the incident report, by themselves, create both a danger to the community and potential flight risks,” judge Ohanesian told the four during the bond hearing.
Initial court appearances for all four are scheduled for August 30 in Conway, while Galloway is also expected to return to Myrtle Beach court Thursday for his assault charge.
