Clemson prof & GOP consultant arrested for assaulting Police

Palmetto Journal ^ | 3/21/02 | Pitchfork Ben

[PJeffQ]

3/21/02
Clemson prof & consultant arrested for Assaulting Police
Copyright 2002, Palmetto Journal

Thursday's edition of the Greenville News reported that Clemson University professor and political consultant David Woodard (pictured in his police photo at left) was arrested Tuesday following the completion of a SLED investigation of an incident that occurred February 28. He was charged with assault and battery and disobedience to a police officer.

According to the article and police reports, the incident occurred in front of Tillman Hall while a film crew from MTV filmed a segment for the show "Road Rules."

According to the statements and article, Woodard attempted to pull into Tillman Circle through a barricade that had been moved so that a motor home used on the show could enter the circle. Woodard was stopped by a police officer and told that he needed to back up out of the area instead of driving around the circle.

According to Clemson University Police Chief Lonnie Saxon (in the News article), "He told him to back up and go out another direction where he wouldn't go through the filming crew and hurt anybody. He backed up and then went forward. He hit the officer and drove through the crowd like he was instructed not to do."

According to the police reports, Woodard had also asked what was going on in the area behind the barricades. When told it was MTV, Woodard said "I know MTV and they're a bunch of crap too!"

The police reports indicate that when stopped after hitting the police officer Woodard stated "You don't know who you are messing with, I'm gonna make you wish you'd never tried to stop me."

The police reports indicate that there were several witnesses, including Clemson students as well as members of the MTV crew.

A SLED investigation was warranted because Woodard and Saxon are both university employees. Woodard's attorney maintains his innocence throughout the article. His attorney even compared the situation to a parking ticket, which was strongly contradicted by 13th Circuit Solicitor Bob Ariail.

Woodard has received awards for his teaching and authored two books. He is also affiliated with the Strom Thurmond Institute at Clemson. In the past he has worked for candidates including Lindsey Graham and Bob Inglis. The article in the paper indicated that he would be taking a leave of absence from all campaigns he is currently involved in, including the campaign of Gresham Barrett for Congress.

[one2many]

Didn't he go up there and work for Klink for a while?

The problem I have with these guys - Repoop or Demoncrat - is that they get up there and dole out handouts for votes.

[PJeffQ]

The case was negotiated down to the point that the charges were what they were , I've been told...

The Police Chief is allegedly very upset that the charges the solicitor decided to go with were so light...

[PJeffQ]

or the public record in the police reports

[PJeffQ]

Elliot Close didn't work for Clinton.

Erskine Bowles, former Chief of Staff and US Senate candidate from NC now, is married to the former Crandall Close.

[Twodees]

I don't know what Elliot may have done while Clinton was in office. I haven't seen him in at least ten years, probably longer than that to have had any conversation with him. We have mutual friends but barely know each other. From what I do know of him, he would be much more likely to go spend a month fishing around Australia than to go messing around DC, but that's based on a long time ago.

[Twodees]

Thanks for the info. You're much closer to the scene and I'll trust your asessment. Nobody should be allowed to drive recklessly enough to put other folks at risk of being run over. That's serious business and shouldn't be sloughed off.

[one2many]

Yeah I had him mixed up with Bowles. As I recollect, Bowles jumped ship on the perverts as soon as doing so would not appear unseemly.