logo
Charleston attorney charged with disorderly conduct for ‘erratic behavior' along downtown Battery

Charleston attorney charged with disorderly conduct for ‘erratic behavior' along downtown Battery

Yahoo16-05-2025

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A Charleston-area attorney was charged with disorderly conduct this week after authorities say he was behaving erratically near the Battery.
William 'Mullins' McLeod, 53, was arrested on May 15 after he was found 'yelling at the top of his lungs' while walking in the area of King Street and Murray Boulevard. He was wearing only underwear and shoes at the time, according to a report from the Charleston Police Department.
Officers reportedly attempted to calm McLeod down, but he continued to yell and flail his arms as police tried to handcuff him.
The report states that McLeod did not immediately identify himself to authorities, referring to himself at separate times as 'Superman' and 'God.'
He was booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center shortly before 1 a.m., where the report notes he 'continued to ramble incoherently and at one point lashed out and kicked another prisoner.'
3 arrested after series of West Ashley car break-ins, police say
The report stated that McLeod's eyes were 'extremely bloodshot and highly dilated,' and he was sweating profusely.
'[Responding officer] knows these symptoms to be typical of an individual under the influence of a stimulant narcotic due to his training and experience,' the report continued.
McLeod is a personal injury attorney with the McLeod Law Group, which has four offices across the state.
He has been involved in several high-profile cases, including helping to secure an $88 million settlement for victims of the 2015 shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church.
McLeod ran unsuccessfully for governor as a Democrat in 2010 and served two terms as chairman of the Charleston County Democratic Party.
He is said to be considering another bid for governor in 2026, sources told News 2.
McLeod was still being held in the jail as of Friday afternoon, records show.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen resigns to take job with conservative nonprofit
Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen resigns to take job with conservative nonprofit

Yahoo

time21 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen resigns to take job with conservative nonprofit

Colorado Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican, listens to opening day proceedings on the first day of the 2025 session of the Colorado Legislature on Jan. 8, 2025, at the Colorado Capitol. (Lindsey Toomer/Colorado Newsline) Senate Minority Paul Lundeen announced Monday that he is resigning from the Legislature to join the leadership of a conservative nonprofit. His resignation is effective immediately. 'Serving Colorado has been an honor and blessing,' the Monument Republican said in a statement. 'I am grateful to the people of Senate District 9 for the opportunity to fight for policies that empower individuals, protect our communities, and promote prosperity. As I transition to a national platform, I am eager to continue advocating for personal freedom, economic opportunity, and common-sense conservative values.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX He will lead the American Excellence Foundation, an organization that awards grants to advance conservative public policy. Lundeen served as a state representative from 2015 to 2018 and as a senator since 2019. He is term-limited and could not seek re-election in 2026. Before his time in the Legislature, he served on the State Board of Education, including as chair for two years. He worked on an array of education-related policies while in office. The Senate Republican caucus will meet on Thursday evening to select a new minority leader. A vacancy committee of Republicans from Senate District 9 will also need to meet to select a replacement for Lundeen. In a statement, Gov. Jared Polis thanked Lundeen for his public service. 'Paul has always found ways to work across the aisle, and do what is best for the people he has served,' the Democrat wrote. 'We've often found common ground on the issues that matter most to Coloradans, like education, public safety and growing our economy. Senator Lundeen has spent decades in public service, in addition to his time leading small businesses, and his presence and leadership will be missed at the Capitol.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE

Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip to face new murder trial but without death penalty
Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip to face new murder trial but without death penalty

Yahoo

time21 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip to face new murder trial but without death penalty

Oklahoma's top prosecutor said Monday that the state intends to pursue a new murder trial against Richard Glossip but without the death penalty after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated his capital conviction in a rare victory for a death row prisoner. State Attorney General Gentner Drummond's decision to retry Glossip, 62, on a first-degree murder charge came out of a status conference hearing. Drummond said in a news release that the evidence still implicates Glossip in the 1997 murder of Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese. Glossip, a motel manager working for Van Treese, has maintained his innocence while on death row for almost three decades. While Drummond, a Republican, has not agreed with Glossip's innocence claims, he was supportive of the Supreme Court's ruling in February, when the majority of justices agreed, as Drummond put it, that "it is now an undeniable fact that he did not receive a fair trial." Drummond said Monday that he would ensure Glossip now receives an impartial trial. "While it was clear to me and to the U.S. Supreme Court that Mr. Glossip did not receive a fair trial, I have never proclaimed his innocence," Drummond said in a statement. "After the high court remanded the matter back to district court, my office thoroughly reviewed the merits of the case against Richard Glossip and concluded that sufficient evidence exists to secure a murder conviction." Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna, a Democrat, had previously indicated that Glossip would not be eligible for the death penalty now if he were to be retried. Drummond said he would seek a life sentence for Glossip at his next trial. "While I cannot go back 25 years and handle the case in the proper way that would have ensured true justice, I still have a duty to seek the justice that is available today," he added. The continuation of the state's prosecution against Glossip resumes a twisting case that saw him dodge death several times with nine separate execution dates that had to be postponed. Various courts delayed the executions as he appealed, while state corrections officials also came under scrutiny a decade ago for botched execution attempts. But Glossip's case had been championed in recent years by a bipartisan group of Oklahoma legislators after an independent report they commissioned in 2022 found that "no reasonable jury hearing the complete record would convict Glossip of first-degree murder." The report centered on the state's primary witness, Justin Sneed, who had confirmed to the report's investigators that he had discussions with multiple family members about "recanting" his testimony over an 11-year period. Investigators also said the district attorney's case file included documentation describing how the state provided Sneed information "so he could conform his testimony to match the evidence" from other witnesses. Glossip's original 1998 conviction was overturned in 2001, when a state appeals court found that the evidence against him was weak. But the state took him to trial again, and a second jury found him guilty in 2004. At Glossip's trial, Sneed, a motel handyman, admitted that he had killed Van Treese, but said that it was at Glossip's direction and that he had been promised $10,000. In exchange for testifying against Glossip, Sneed received a life sentence while Glossip was given the death penalty. Prosecutors said Glossip orchestrated the plot because he was embezzling from the motel and feared being fired. The Supreme Court on Monday tossed out Glossip's capital conviction in a 5-3 ruling. Justice Neil Gorsuch did not participate, presumably because he was involved in the case when he was on a federal appeals court that includes Oklahoma. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the majority's ruling that prosecutors "knew Sneed's statements were false" and that "because Sneed's testimony was the only direct evidence of Glossip's guilt of capital murder, the jury's assessment of Sneed's credibility was necessarily determinative here." "Hence, there is a reasonable likelihood that correcting Sneed's testimony would have affected the judgment of the jury," she added. After the Supreme Court's decision, Glossip was moved off death row, but was held without bail in the Oklahoma County Detention Center on a first-degree murder charge. A next court date in Glossip's case is scheduled for June 17. Glossip's attorney, Don Knight, did not immediately comment about the prosecutors' decision, but he welcomed the Supreme Court's ruling in February that spared his longtime client from the death chamber. "He had nine execution dates, three last meals, and obviously, to finally get relief has been huge for him," Knight said, "and he's thrilled beyond words." This article was originally published on

Trump Suggests Arresting Gavin Newsom
Trump Suggests Arresting Gavin Newsom

Yahoo

time22 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Trump Suggests Arresting Gavin Newsom

Donald Trump on Monday suggested that California Governor Gavin Newsom should be arrested over his handling of unrest in Los Angeles, escalating tensions after the President mobilized the National Guard to quell anti-ICE protests over the weekend. "I would do it, if I were Tom. I think it is great,' Trump said when asked by a reporter if he supported a threat from his border czar Tom Homan to arrest state officials who obstruct federal immigration raids. 'Gavin likes the publicity but I think it would be a great thing. He's done a terrible job… Look, I like Gavin Newsom, he's a nice guy, but he's grossly incompetent.' Trump's comment comes as Los Angeles entered its fourth consecutive day of protests following large-scale immigration enforcement actions by federal agents across the city. Demonstrators have clashed with law enforcement in downtown streets, where barricades have been toppled, cars torched, and over 150 people arrested since Friday. Read More: What the National Guard Crackdown in LA Made Us See The unrest has been fueled in part by the Trump Administration's decision to unilaterally deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to the city under federal authority, bypassing the governor. Newsom, a Democrat many view as a 2028 presidential contender, has called the move 'unlawful' and vowed to file suit to block the federalization of the National Guard. 'There is currently no need for the National Guard to be deployed in Los Angeles,' he wrote in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday, calling it a 'serious breach of state sovereignty.' Tensions expanded after Homan warned that officials like Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could be arrested if they interfered with federal operations. 'It's a felony to knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien. It's a felony to impede law enforcement doing their job,' Homan told NBC News on Saturday. Though he conceded neither official had 'crossed the line yet,' he issued the warning nonetheless. Newsom called Homan's bluff in an interview with MSNBC on Sunday, urging Homan to 'just get it over with' and arrest him. 'He's a tough guy. Why doesn't he do that? He knows where to find me,' Newsom said. 'That kind of bloviating is exhausting. So, Tom, arrest me. Let's go." Homan appeared to walk back his earlier remarks during a Monday appearance on 'Fox & Friends,' saying he was responding hypothetically to a reporter's question. 'There was no discussion about arresting Newsom,' he said. Even so, Trump's public backing of the idea marks a dramatic escalation in his second-term approach to political opposition—one increasingly defined by threats of criminal prosecution. It echoes his Justice Department's controversial arrest of Newark's Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka after a clash outside an ICE detention facility in New Jersey last month, though the charges were ultimately dropped. The Trump Administration has also charged Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver with two counts of assaulting, resisting and impeding an officer from the same skirmish. The deployment of federalized National Guard troops to Los Angeles further strained the relationship between the White House and California. Legal scholars note that Trump's order to take command of the Guard—without invoking the Insurrection Act—treads into murky constitutional territory. The directive cited federal authority to ensure the continuity of government functions, a justification reminiscent of Cold War-era civil unrest crackdowns, but without clear precedent in a non-insurrection context. 'If we had not done so,' Trump wrote on Truth Social about his National Guard order, 'Los Angeles would have been completely obliterated.' He added, sarcastically, that Newsom and Bass 'should be saying, 'THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP, YOU ARE SO WONDERFUL.'' Protests have also spread to other cities, including San Francisco, Sacramento, Chicago, and New York, where demonstrators are rallying in opposition to the raids and the arrest of a prominent labor leader. The Service Employees International Union is staging protests in more than two dozen cities on Monday, accusing the Administration of targeting immigrant communities and organized labor. Write to Nik Popli at

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store