Despite reports to the contrary, it appears that Walter Scott had no open warrants for his arrest when he was stopped for an alleged broken tail light by the police.
That doesn't mean he didn't understand the possibilities of what could happen to him if police got a whiff of his past record. He did, and I can see why he decided to run for it.
Scott reportedly owed more than $7,800 in back child support and legal fees before the incident, according to court documents. He had served three jail sentences over late family debts and hadn't paid any child support since July 2012.
But The Associated Press reported that no bench warrant had been issued for Scott, 50, when police officer Michael Slager, 33, opened fire on him Saturday in an incident caught on video that made headlines nationwide. Slager has been fired and charged with murder.
Court documents show Scott’s legal troubles with child support began in 2008.
In the first incident, he was caught in a traffic stop and additionally charged with an open container violation and driving under suspension. Scott served half a year behind bars for those offenses, all while owing $6,800.
He then spent a night in jail for $7,500 in back fees in 2011. After that, court documents said, he also received another evening in captivity for $3,500 he owed in 2012.
According to NBC, the amounts owing now add up to over $18,000.00. It's not hard to understand how a guy who spent some time in debtor's prison jail might have decided making a break for it was better than enduring the same thing again over an amount that had nearly tripled.
Owing back child support doesn't carry the death penalty, unless you happen to be driving while black in South Carolina and have the nerve to run for the hills.
