Horry County cross-burning suspect’s harassment trial delayed

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — The trial for an Horry County man accused of taking part in a November 2023 cross-burning incident was pushed back for a third time Thursday morning.

Worden Butler’s trial on a charge of second-degree harassment was scheduled to start in Myrtle Beach Magistrate Court, but the judge granted another continuance in the case. A new date for the trial has not been set.

The charge stems from multiple incidents between Nov. 23 and Nov. 24 on Corbett Drive near Conway, according to an Horry County police report. During one of the incidents, Butler and his girlfriend, Alexis Hartnett, who are white, were arrested in December after authorities said they erected a cross facing the home of their Black neighbors Monica and Shaun Williams and set it on fire.

According to police reports, the Butler and Hartnett had intimidated and harassed the Williams family for months, including using racial slurs. After their arrest, F BI agents searched Butler’s home as part of a civil-rights investigation.

In late March, a judge granted a temporary injunction to close the property where Butler and Hartnett lived, declaring it a public nuisance because of the alleged harassment of the Williams family. The home on Corbett Drive remains shuttered despite an appeal filed by Butler’s lawyers earlier this week.

Hartnett also is charged with second-degree harassment. It’s unclear when she could go to trial.

The Nov. 24 cross-burning prompted a new round of calls by state lawmakers and the NAACP for adoption of a hate crimes law. The Williams’ have traveled across South Carolina the past year, speaking with civil rights groups and urging lawmakers to adopt a hate crimes law — the state is one of just two that doesn’t have on the books. Wyoming is the other.

The 2023-224 regular session of the South Carolina General Assembly ended without any action on the matter.

A bill, known as the Clementa C. Pickney Act, would have enhanced penalties for violent crimes fueled by hate. It’s named after a state senator and one of the nine victims of the 2015 church shooting in Charleston.

Monica and Shaun Williams appeared at a Conway City Council meeting last week, praising leaders there for adopting a local hate crimes ordinance.

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Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13 . He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook , X, formerly Twitter , and read more of his work here .

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Savannah Denton joined News 13 in July 2023 as a reporter and producer. Savannah is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. Follow Savannah on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here .

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12 . See more of his work here .

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