The timing of news about the city of Chester's grant
to cope with domestic abuse and a story about a magistrate's refusal to
sign a warrant against the county sheriff for suspected violence toward
his estranged wife may have struck many citizens as more than a little
ironic.
What happened in the parking lot of a Chester fast-food restaurant
last March may never be known to anyone except Sheriff Robby Benson and
his wife. Obviously, they don't agree themselves about what occurred,
although an incident report stated that Marcy Benson sustained cuts to
her knee and hand.
What is known is that the S.C. attorney general, who has put the
fight against domestic violence at the top of his agenda, after an
investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division, asked a magistrate
to sign a warrant against the sheriff. We know that the incident report
on this case was not released for months, even though such information
is public under state law. We know that Magistrate Dianne Moore refused
to sign a warrant because, she said, there wasn't enough evidence to
support the charge. We know the attorney general's office asked Judge
Moore to remove herself from the case because of her long association
with the sheriff, but she declined.
How the state Attorney General's Office and a magistrate could reach
such diametrically opposed interpretations of the same information is
curious indeed. If no credible evidence existed of domestic violence,
why did the state waste so much time and money pursuing the case? If
such evidence does exist, why didn't the judge sign the warrant?
Lawmakers recently strengthened penalties for domestic violence,
especially for repeat offenders. That's good news, even though the
General Assembly had to be shamed into action because of citizen outrage
over one legislator's insensitive remarks about abused women. Perhaps
fear of spending hard time in jail will cause more citizens to think
twice before beating their partner.
More likely, it will take a sustained effort by public officials,
educators and human service specialists to make a dent in this serious
social problem. South Carolina has led the nation in incidents of
domestic violence, according to some studies. That's why we applaud an
announcement that the city of Chester will receive a $45,000 grant to
combat domestic violence. The money will be used to assist police in
investigating domestic violence and to provide free legal assistance to
victims of such crimes.
One obstacle that must be overcome is the common perception that
violence within the family is less serious than violence between
strangers. If a woman's nose is broken or her ribs cracked, it doesn't
make it any less painful that her spouse did it. In fact, domestic abuse
is often worse because the offender is more likely to do it again. Also,
the idea that the potential for embarrassing family members is reason
not to prosecute suspected abusers is a notion both antiquated and
dangerous.
Chester County citizens no doubt have their own opinions about what
happened between Sheriff Benson and his wife in a parking lot March 7.
Unfortunately, it seems they may never have the opportunity to find
out.
