Veteran of Law Enforcement Lies to Police about Shooting, And Now Faces Criminal Charges
The State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) arrested a former North Charleston police officer for staging his own shooting earlier this year, and misreporting it to authorities.
The 46-year-old Charles Edward Bullard, Jr, has been charged with misconduct in office, and reporting false information to the police. Both charges are misdemeanors, and could land Bullard a jail sentence of 13 months, and a fine of $1,200. They are not the most serious criminal charges he could face in South Carolina, however.
Bullard was hit by a bullet while wearing a protective vest. Initially, he told the police that someone had confronted him. He reported that on July 4th, early in the morning, he was attacked by someone emerging from behind a River’s Avenue carpet store. He claimed that, in the ensuing struggle, his side arm went off and he accidentally shot himself in the chest. Later, police determined that the shooting was actually a suicide attempt. However, now authorities say that Bullard shot himself to garner sympathy and, ultimately, financial help.
The North Charleston Police Department’s chief discovered the truth about the incident two days later, and Bullard was fired. He then asked SLED to investigate the incident.
Bullard’s attorney, Andy Savage, says he hopes the case will be handled as a medical issue, as Bullard spent some time in treatmentat a behavioral facility after leaving the police department. Another attorney involved in the case, Emily Ayers, revealed that the incident was caused in part by Bullard’s former mistress’s Twitter posts. Allegedly, the woman posted 22,000 tweets, some concerning Bullard’s parental negligence. The former mistress had given birth to Bullard’s son.
Bullard has been released on a $10,470 personal recognizance bond. His wife is not commenting on the story at this time.
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