The enigmatic South Carolina man who, with no campaigning, dismayed voters when he won a 2010 nomination for U.S. Senate was arrested recently under characteristically strange circumstances. Alvin Greene, 35, is a Manning resident, but he was arrested for allegedly trespassing in Myrtle Beach.
A person accused of trespassing is usually given a ticket, but Greene was arrested and, as of Aug. 12, had been in jail for four days. His bond was set at $282, and the penalties for trespassing, a misdemeanor, are a fine of $100 or a 30-day jail sentence.
Police claim Greene was trespassing as he walked around a Myrtle Beach apartment complex. He was reportedly disoriented when he asked officers to contact paramedics. Medical responders apparently showed up, but the officers arrested Greene, anyway.
A Myrtle Beach police spokesperson offered few details regarding the arrest. It remains unclear why police viewed Greene as trespassing; why the matter wasn’t handled by issuing a ticket; and why the man remained in jail for days.
If you have been accused of any crime in South Carolina, it is best not to let police and prosecutors simply have their way in court. Depending on the circumstances, fighting the charges could result in their dismissal or reduction.
Police officers are by no means infallible, and sometimes a bad judgment call results in an innocent person being arrested. And no matter what your background is, if you are accused of a crime, then you are entitled to a competent criminal defense.
Source: myrtlebeachonline.com, “Myrtle Beach police arrest one-time Senate candidate Greene,” Jeffery Collins, Aug. 12, 2013