CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The South Carolina couple accused of burning a cross to intimidate their Black neighbors over Thanksgiving weekend is now facing a petition to vacate their home.
The Horry County solicitor is requesting a judge grant a temporary injunction against Worden Butler and Alexis Hartnett, which would declare their house a nuisance, close it down, and force them to leave for one year.
The petition says the property has a reputation of "continuous breaches of the peace" and to keep it open would be a "public nuisance to the harm and detriment of the public.”
Monica Williams said she and her family were the targets of Butler and Hartnett's alleged harassment. Williams and her husband live in Charlotte and bought a house in Horry County with plans to retire there.
"We saved, we worked really hard," Williams said.
Those plans are now in limbo after repeated harassment, threats, and a burning cross at their house over Thanksgiving weekend.
"My neighbors that did this to us had called us all kinds of racial terms and epithets the day before," Williams recalled.
Butler and Hartnett were arrested for harassment and bailed out the next day. Since then, the only neighborhood Williams feels safe in is Charlotte.
"It has been traumatic and we're still trying to process all of that," Williams shared.
Williams called the petition for a temporary injunction a step in the right direction, but she's afraid of retaliation down the road.
"I'm not willing to put my family, my grandchildren at risk for that," Williams said. She is unsure if she'll ever feel safe enough to return to her Myrtle Beach home.
That’s exactly why she’s rallying for South Carolina to pass a hate crime law, which would worsen penalties for crimes motivated by someone’s race, religion, gender, or background.
South Carolina is one of only two states without a hate crime law.
Williams said she and her husband are working to create a nonprofit called Peace After Fire that will focus on eradicating racism.
A hearing has not been scheduled for the temporary injunction yet.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.