A former North Augusta Public Safety officer is now facing a felony charge in the 2014 shooting death of an Edgefield County man after a police chase, according to the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division.
Justin Gregory Craven, 25, was charged Tuesday with discharging a firearm into a vehicle while occupied, and was booked at the Edgefield County detention center Tuesday.
Craven is accused in the shooting death of 68-year-old Earnest Satterwhite St. on Feb. 9, 2014, after a police chase that began in North Augusta and ended in Edgefield County, officials have said. That evening, Craven tried to initiate a traffic stop on Knox Avenue in North Augusta because of a suspected driving under the influence about 7:30 p.m., but rather than stop, the driver sped off.
The pursuit traveled north on U.S. 25 toward Edgefield County, causing two accidents in addition to damage to personal property, police said. The pursuit ended in front of Satterwhite's home on Rose Drive in Edgefield.
Craven approached the vehicle, an altercation ensued and shots were fired, according to previous reports. It was then that Craven reportedly shot Satterwhite.
Craven "did unlawfully discharge a pistol into a vehicle occupied by Earnest Satterwhite, killing Satterwhite," according to the arrest warrant for the new charge, which also states that the shooting was recorded on video and that Craven admitted firing the pistol into the vehicle.
An Edgefield County grand jury in August indicted Craven on one count of official misconduct in office, which is a misdemeanor, but no-billed a charge of voluntary manslaughter.
According to a statement from SLED, the new charge against Craven is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000 or both. SLED spokesman Thom Berry said the felony charge is being made as an additional charge to the misdemeanor.
SLED investigated the incident at the request of North Augusta Public Safety. The case will be prosecuted by the 11th Circuit Solicitor's Office.
Craven was reassigned from Public Safety to the City's building standards department near the end of September. City Administrator Todd Glover declined to comment on the new charge Tuesday, but said Craven is still employed by the City.
Just last month, the City of North Augusta agreed to pay nearly $1.2 million to Satterwhite's estate to settle a wrongful death suit filed by his brother. His brother, Anthony Satterwhite, sued the City of North Augusta, North Augusta Public Safety, Edgefield County and the Edgefield County Sheriff's Office for actual, consequential and punitive damages.
The bulk of the settlement will be paid by North Augusta Public Safety, with $1 million coming from the S.C. Municipal Insurance and Risk Financing Fund and $195,000 being paid by the City of North Augusta. Edgefield County and the Edgefield County Sheriff's Office will pay $2,500.
The order states that $598,750 each will be apportioned to the "survival" and "wrongful death" causes of action.
According to the document, Anthony Satterwhite entered into a written attorney's fees agreement, with his attorneys agreeing to a contingency fee of 40 percent plus costs associated with the case. Court costs totaled about $4,766.
In exchange for the settlement, Anthony Satterwhite will dismiss all claims against the defendants. The order notes that no liability is admitted by any party.
Teddy Kulmala covers the crime and courts beat for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since August 2012. He is a native of Williston and majored in communication studies at Clemson University.