Attorneys Call on Marlboro County Sheriff to Release Video of Detainee Beating

Marlboro County, SC - Attorneys for Eldred Joe, the 30-year-old black man severely beaten by an officer at the Marlboro County Detention Center last month, are calling on Marlboro County Sheriff Larry McNeil to release video of the beating that put Joe in the hospital.

Joe was being processed at the Marlboro County Detention Center on May 3 when officer Morgan Ridges brutally beat him leaving him with severe injuries to his head and body. In addition to the beating, Joe was left in handcuffs for 12 hours resulting in severe injuries to his wrists requiring multiple surgeries and 12 days of hospitalization.

After reviewing surveillance video of the incident, the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office dismissed Ridges and turned the incident over to the SC State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) for investigation.

SLED arrested Ridges and charged him with Third Degree Assault & Battery and Misconduct in Office.

“Turning this incident over to SLED for investigation was an important first step," says Bakari Sellers, a renowned civil rights attorney with the Strom Law Firm representing Joe. "But, in order to demonstrate true accountability, the Marlboro County Sheriff's Office needs to publicly release the video."

"We believe Sheriff McNeil when he says he wants to rebuild trust in the community. Now is the time to prove it."

McNeil took over the embattled Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office after a grand jury indicted then-Sheriff Charles Lemon in December of 2021 for Misconduct in Office and Assault.

Sellers says Joe’s attorneys are currently looking at all legal avenues available for justice and expects a civil lawsuit to be forthcoming.