Attorneys say terminated CCSO deputy did not use derogatory name during Oct. 21 altercation

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Attorneys representing a former Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputy are speaking out against allegations their client used a derogatory name during an Oct. 21 altercation with a suspect.

James Carter was terminated from the sheriff’s office over several policy violations following a vehicle pursuit that happened in the Hollywood area. He was accused of assaulting the suspect and later arrested and charged with third-degree assault and battery and misconduct in office by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

Previous reports alleged that Carter used derogatory language during the Oct. 21 altercation; however, attorneys from the Savage Law Firm said the reports were inaccurate and released a transcript from Carter’s body-worn camera.

A review of that transcript did not show the use of derogatory language or racial slurs.

“This transcription was done blindly by a certified transcriptionist without receiving any input,” said attorneys.

News 2 reached out to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday afternoon to confirm the provided transcript was from the entirety of the altercation and accurate. The sheriff’s office referred our questions to SLED. They do plan on releasing the video in the interest of transparency in the coming days.

“The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office is nearing completion on an internal investigation into the events of Oct. 21, which led to the termination of James “Hank” Carter for policy violations. In the interest of transparency, we intend to make the video footage available to the public at the close of the investigation. We believe it is in the public’s interest to see it for themselves,” said Amber Allen, communications director for CCSO.

The suspect, who is African American, was charged at the time with resisting arrest, failure to stop for blue lights, reckless driving, and various drug charges.