DILLON COUNTY – There are The 4th Circuit Solicitor’s Office announced on Tuesday that a lady from Latta who attempted to set a police officer on fire was given a sentence of more than six years in jail for her actions.
Melissa McCoy, 38 years old, entered a guilty plea in Dillon County court for the charges of first-degree assault and battery. A sentence of 6.5 years in jail was handed down to McCoy by Circuit Court Judge Kirk Griffin, according to the office of the solicitor.
This kind of occurrence cannot be condoned, according to Assistant Solicitor Shipp Daniel, who was in charge of the prosecution of the case. He stated that police personnel are overworked and underpaid.
“The last thing they [police officers] need is for someone to try to evade arrest by spraying lighter fluid on the officer and attempting to light him on fire,” Daniel added. “This is the last thing they need.” A behavior such as that directed toward our law enforcement officers is taken very seriously by us, and we are delighted that the court shares our sentiments.
Officers from the Latta Police Department made an attempt to arrest McCoy on December 30, 2023 lawfully.
Following a brief pursuit around her residence, McCoy intentionally set fire to one of the cops by spraying lighter fluid on him, especially in his eyes, and then attempting to burn him on fire. The office of the solicitor stated that McCoy is required to serve 53 percent of her sentence.
