Man charged in ‘brutal’ attack on a motel worker Wednesday in Hardeeville, police say
A Beaufort man was arrested Wednesday and accused of a “brutal” attack on a woman at the motel where she works, according to the Hardeeville Police Department.
Derrick Roseberry, 39, was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and second-degree burglary, according to the Jasper County Detention Center jail log.
Hardeeville Police Chief Sam Woodward announced the charges in a video on the department’s official Facebook account.
Officers from the Hardeeville Police Department received a call around 12:40 a.m. Tuesday after Roseberry had broken into a room at the motel where he was not a guest, according to Woodward. The woman was held captive for 30 minutes in the room at the motel where she works on Whyte Hardee Boulevard, Woodward said. Officers found Roseberry walking near Exit 8 in Hardeeville around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, Woodward said.
“This lady went through a tremendous, brutal attack for a long period of time yesterday, and I just want the public to know he is no longer on the streets of Jasper County, South Carolina,” Woodward said.
If convicted, Roseberry could face up to 30 years in prison.
As of Thursday morning, Roseberry remained in custody at the Jasper County Detention Center, where he is being held without bond, Woodward said.
“It’s just one of those things that we just cannot understand why somebody would do what they do,” Woodward said.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, help can be reached at the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (800) 656-4673.
