BEAUFORT, SC (February 13, 2019) – A Hilton Head Island man who injured a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office deputy with his car in the parking lot of a Bluffton-area outlet center is headed to prison.
Akeem Shamar Jenkins, 24, pleaded guilty Wednesday to resisting law enforcement and trafficking cocaine. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on each charge and will serve the sentences concurrently.
Jury selection in Jenkins’ trial for these charges was to begin Tuesday.
“Mr. Jenkins posed a grave threat not only to the officer involved, but to all the bystanders who were in the area at that time,” said Leigh Staggs of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case.
Jenkins was speeding on U.S. 278 in southern Beaufort County on Dec. 9, 2016, when he passed Deputy Raymond Heroux. The officer initiated a traffic stop, and Jenkins pulled over into the Tanger Two Outlet parking lot. As Heroux attempted to arrest him, Jenkins slammed his car into reverse, ramming Heroux’s vehicle.
Heroux was caught in the door of Jenkins’ vehicle and dragged around as Jenkins drove erratically around the parking lot. The officer fired three shots, striking the defendant and causing him to hit a tree. Subsequently, 48 grams of cocaine were discovered in Jenkins’ pants.
Jenkins was on probation at the time of incident. He had previous convictions for third-degree burglary, discharging a firearm into a dwelling, possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance.
Circuit Court Judge Carmen T. Mullen handed down Wednesday’s sentence.
Jenkins also faces an unrelated attempted-murder charge in Jasper County in connection with a shooting during a tailgating event for Ridgeland High School’s football homecoming Oct. 29, 2018. The investigation into that incident continues. The defendant has not been convicted in that matter and remains innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
