MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Court documents reveal the man charged in the 2013 disappearance of Heather Elvis is not facing a second obstruction of justice charge, as some media outlets have reported. A new indictment was filed against Sidney Moorer last month, but it appears to amend the charge, not create a new one.
The indictment for an obstruction of justice charge was originally filed against Moorer Feb. 27, 2014. The indictment alleges that Moorer purposefully acted in a way that “prevented, obstructed, impeded, or hindered the administration of justice,” on or about Dec. 20, 2013.
Heather Elvis, the 20-year-old Moorer is accused of kidnapping, was last heard from Dec. 18, 2013. Elvis’ car was found abandoned near Peachtree Landing along the Waccamaw River the next day. On Dec. 20, two days after Elvis’ disappearance, Horry County Major Crimes Detectives searched the area of Peachtree Landing where Elvis’ car was discovered.
The newly filed, adjusted indictment against Moorer expands the timeline of when the alleged kidnapper intentionally hindered the investigation into finding Elvis. Court documents filed March 23, 2017, state “December 20, 2013 thru December 21, 2013” as the dates Moorer acted in a way that brought on the obstruction of justice charge. The new indictment tacks on an additional day of potentially unlawful action by Moorer and also removes the name of a former Horry County detective who has since been indicted on six counts of misconduct in office and five counts of criminal sexual conduct third degree.
Former Horry County Detective Allen Large is listed as a witness on the original indictment, but the newly filed document does not include the terminated detective’s name. Large was fired from the police department in July 2015, according to a termination letter within his personnel file obtained by News13.
Witnesses listed on the adjusted indictment include Jeffrey Cauble, from the Horry County Police Department, and Jon Martin. A Sergeant with the Horry County Police Department with the same name (Jon Martin), testified during the Moorer kidnapping trial.
The newly submitted indictment lists the arrest date as Feb. 22, 2014, the same date as the original document. According to information on the Horry County Public Index, the original indictment has been dismissed as of Wednesday, seemingly to be replaced by the adjusted indictment, which lists no new charges for Moorer.
Moorer was tried in the kidnapping of Elvis in June 2016. The jury declared a mistrial June 24, 2016 when they could not come to a unanimous decision. A retrial for Moorer’s kidnapping charge is planned, but a date has not been set for that trial.
