MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – A teen connected to the Ocean Boulevard shooting broadcast live on Facebook was back in court Tuesday after an incorrect criminal history was read at his bond hearing last week.
On Tuesday, a different judge denied bond again on the six attempted murder charges.
Judge Glenn V. Ohanesian said the suspect was a flight risk because he lived outside of South Carolina and also was a danger to the community.
Myrtle Beach police say the wrong person’s criminal history was pulled last week in the bond hearing for the second man arrested in connection with the shooting on Ocean Boulevard that injured seven people in June.
Myrtle Beach police spokesperson Lt. Joey Crosby confirms 18-year-old Raekwon Graham of North Carolina was in court Friday and was denied bond on six counts of attempted murder.RELATED: BOND DENIED FOR SECOND SUSPECT IN MYRTLE BEACH SHOOTING STREAMED ON FACEBOOK LIVE
Before the bond hearing, the court was given a criminal history that was obtained from the National Crime Information Center. Lt. Crosby later clarified that police provided the information to court officials.
During his bond hearing, Graham stood before the judge who mentioned charges in the criminal history – a record that was supposed to be for Graham. The charges are from March 2016 out of Richland County. The judge noted that he considered Graham a flight risk, and he denied bond on all six counts of attempted murder.
On Monday, police released a statement saying the wrong individual’s history was read in court Friday.
“The criminal history contained arrest records of a defendant with a similar name, Raequawn Graham, who has a date of birth with the same month and year. During the bond hearing proceedings, the Judge documented the arrest record of Raequawn Graham as that of Raekwon Graham,” Lt. Crosby stated in a press release.
Lt. Crosby also explained its not unusual for NCIC to return a “hit” for people with similar info.
The police department reviewed recordings of the bond hearing and the criminal history, and has advised the court and the solicitor’s office the arrest record used Friday did not belong to Raekwon Graham.
When News13 asked if Graham will receive a new bond hearing, Lt. Crosby explained that the decision was “out of the scope of the police department,” and is now a judicial matter.
The judge who presided over the first hearing, J. Scott Long, offered no comment to News13 Monday when asked about the matter.
Judge Ohanesian said his decision Tuesday was based solely on the evidence presented to him in court on July 18. He also said he did not examine the record of the previous bond hearing where the incorrect criminal history was utilized.
Before the new bond was set, Graham spoke to the judge and explained how he had recently graduated high school and is now attending college in North Carolina.
“I’m trying to get back and go back to school,” Graham told the judge.
A representative of the solicitor’s office spoke next to the judge and explained that Graham and others charged in the case intentionally came to Myrtle Beach to attack the victim.
“These individuals took extremely egregious actions to come here and show absolute disregard to the safety of the people that were around that day and everybody’s safety,” Cara Walker from the solicitor’s office said.
After the judge announced his decision to deny bond on the six charges again, Graham asked if he could speak again and made a last minute plea to the judge.
“I basically turned myself in… I wouldn’t run..,” Graham said. “I want to attend school, to finish, to try to finish the school that I started at this summer.”
The judge responded that he “appreciated those comments,” but based on the fact that Graham lived out of state, he was still a flight risk and the danger Graham posed to the community based on the nature of the incident alone was sufficient to deny bond.
