1 charged in stabbing of homeless man in Beaufort’s Waterfront Park, police say
A Beaufort County man was charged with stabbing another man, both homeless, in Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in downtown Beaufort, according to authorities.
Pernell Byas, 59, was charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, a felony, on Wednesday by the Beaufort Police Department.
Byas lives in a makeshift camp in the park’s pavilion, according to Capt. George Erdel.
Byas, according to a police report, moved to stab another homeless man in the park with his pocketknife. The victim used “his left arm to block the knife from hitting his head,” the report said.
Byas is being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond, jail records show.
A conviction of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature can result in up to 20 years in prison, according to S.C. law.
