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Former officer arrested again

LIBERTY — A former Pickens police officer accused of assaulting a woman while on duty was arrested again last week and charged with criminal domestic violence.

Robert Lee Sapp, 56, of 105 Beverly Court in Liberty, was charged with criminal domestic violence, first offense, after his arrest last Tuesday, according to a Pickens County Sheriff’s Office incident report.

According to the report, a woman told police she and Sapp had been in an argument when she began to fear it would escalate and picked up her cellphone to call 911. She told police Sapp took the phone and tackled her and held her head down when she tried to get another phone.

The responding officer allegedly noticed a small bleeding abrasion on the woman’s elbow and blood on her pajama pants, and she told officers she had gone up the street to call police and was afraid of Sapp.

Sapp told police the woman was intoxicated and had begun hitting him during an argument and he had pushed her and held her to stop the assault.

According to the reporting officer, because it appeared Sapp was the primary aggressor and the woman had a visible physical injury, Sapp was placed under arrest.

Sapp was released from the Pickens County Detention Center on a $5,000 surety bond.

Sapp had been arrested the previous week and charged with one count of first-degree assault and battery and one count of misconduct in office, according to a SLED news release.

Sapp was arrested on Oct. 29 to wrap up an investigation conducted by SLED agents at the request of the Pickens Police Department.

According to arrest warrants, officers believe Sapp touched a woman’s breast and other body parts on June 19. The woman allegedly told police Sapp began to kiss her and rub his body against hers before exposing and kissing her breast. The warrant claims Sapp was “on duty in his official capacity as a sworn Pickens City Police officer” during the alleged assault.

If convicted in the case, Sapp faces up to 10 years in prison on each charge, according to SLED. The case will be prosecuted by the 13th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.