Double trouble: HHI man arrested twice for assaulting then threatening gas station clerk
Jeffrey Bryan Wilson, 50, of Hilton Head faces a slew of criminal charges for allegedly assaulting a gas station attendant while in a drunken stupor. To make matters worse, Wilson then returned to the station two weeks later and unleashed a storm of vengeful threats intended to intimidate the witness.
Beaufort County deputies say a “grossly intoxicated” Wilson entered Hilton Head’s Kangaroo Express gas station the evening of Sept. 12, throwing newspapers and a box of canned beverages at the female employee behind the counter. Wilson then fled the store, but police used the building’s security footage to arrest him on misdemeanor charges of assault and public disorderly conduct two days later.
Wilson then returned to the store on Oct. 1 — when the same female attendant was working — and hurled threats at the woman, claiming he would sue her and that it was her fault he had been arrested, according to Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Maj. Angela Viens. Using surveillance video as evidence once again, police charged Wilson with felony witness intimidation on Oct. 12.
Viens said Wilson’s threats toward the attendant — who is considered a witness in the assault and battery case — constituted a violation of South Carolina’s Victims’ Bill of Rights, which asserts that crime victims have the right to be free from “intimidation, harassment, or abuse.” The legislation was added to the state’s constitution in 1996 through a referendum with nearly 90% of voters’ support.
The 50-year-old suspect, who lives on north-end Hilton Head, was released the afternoon of Oct. 12 on a $5,000 surety bond, bringing his total bond payment to $10,000 across the two arrests. Wilson had previously been convicted for drug possession and driving under suspension following a DUI, according to judicial records.
This story was originally published October 17, 2023 at 12:55 PM.
