Judge Berkeley Co. accused of arriving at Uber and assaulting the driver

BERKELEY COUNTY, SC (WCSC) – A report from a Berkeley County deputy says the South Carolina Division of Law Enforcement is investigating a judge over an alleged assault on an Uber driver.

Wednesday, SLED confirmed was investigating Berkeley County Judge Martin Housand in connection with an incident on September 27th.

A Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office report detailed the nature of the allegations against Housand, which came from an Uber driver who called 911 just before 10 p.m. saying he was assaulted by a man while picking up a rider from a house in St. Stephen. .

Deputies met with the Uber driver and rider at a gas station, where the driver advised he received a request for a ride from Housand Lane to a location in Moncks Corner.

Upon arrival, the passenger entered the vehicle and instructed the driver to exit the driveway.

As he was leaving, he saw the man approach the vehicle. He rolled down his car window, at which point the man asked the Uber driver what he was doing and where he was going.

The driver reportedly pulled up his phone screen to show the Uber unit, but the man told him he wasn’t good enough. The driver told the man to move away from the car and the man refused.

Following the refusal, the report states the man reached into the driver’s vehicle and grabbed his face with both hands. The driver said the man grabbed him by the nose and near the eyes and mouth, prompting him to drive away and call for help. Deputies note in the report that there was a fresh cut on the inside of the driver’s nose.

Deputies then spoke with the female passenger, who identified herself as Housand’s daughter, according to the report. She told deputies she and her parents argued “all night,” at which point she said he was kicked out of the house.

Her parents were upset with her because of something going on in her personal life. She told deputies she didn’t feel comfortable there and needed to leave. Her boyfriend ordered the Uber to take her to his grandmother’s house.

Housand’s daughter said she got into the Uber and, after telling the driver to get out, saw her father approach the car window.

She said she began asking the driver questions before finally getting into the vehicle. She stated that because of where she was sitting, she could not confirm whether her father actually made contact with the driver’s face.

The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office requested SLED’s assistance three days later.

No charges have been filed in this case and the investigation is ongoing.