Lowcountry City Councilman Embroiled In Disc Jockey Drama

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A city councilman in North Charleston, South Carolina is reportedly preparing to file a grievance against a police officer who cited a nightclub with which he is affiliated for violating a city noise ordinance last month.

According to the report (.pdf), the responding officer arrived at The Montague Room in North Charleston shortly before midnight on Saturday, February 24, 2024 in response to noise complaints. The establishment – which bills itself as “an upscale restaurant/lounge nestled in North Charleston” – is tied to city councilman Jerome Heyward.

Heyward has been referred to publicly as the vice president of the establishment, but its listed owner – Michelle Stenthilton – told WCSC TV-5 (CBS – Charleston) last fall the councilman does not have any ownership interest in the business. Stenthilton, who also goes by Michelle Stent, also told the station she believed the club has become a “political target” due to its association with Heyward.

“The Montague Room is singled out,” she claimed.

***

Whatever his relationship to the business, Heyward referred to himself as the “boss” of the club during last month’s drama with North Charleston officers, according to sources familiar with the situation. He also referred to one of the officers, who is white, as “boy” – which the officer interpreted as a “racial epithet.”

How did the saga unfold?

Upon arrival, responding officers encountered a disc jockey playing “amplified music” at an “unreasonably loud/ disturbing/ unnecessary” volume from a turntable located just outside of the establishment. This, the officers noted, was in violation of North Charleston code § 13-126 which prohibits “unreasonably loud and disturbing or unnecessary noise” between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.

Asked to turn the music off, the disc jockey instead turned it down – and then back up again – while another patron was reportedly instructed to “get Jerome.”

At this point, according to the police narrative, officers encountered an “inebriated” councilman Heyward – who was “clearly under the influence of alcoholic beverages.”

(Click to View)

“This was the second time (the responding officer) dealt with an inebriated North Charleston city councilman Heyward, the first time being at an event at Riverfront Park where he verbally abused and demeaned a junior officer who had stopped him from entering (an) event without a wristband/ ticket,” the officer noted in his report.

Upon being informed of the noise complaint, Heyward told the officer he would “handle it” – but did not, per the report. Asked a second time, Heyward told the officer he “didn’t feel like that tonight” and that the music emanating from the club was “not bothering anybody.”

“You do what you gotta do,” Heyward added, according to the report. “I ain’t turning my music off, period.”

Informed he was about to be ticketed, Heyward called one of the responding officer’s superiors – deputy chief Karen Cordray and informed her “everybody is here tonight and they can’t solve no crime in North Charleston.”

Shortly thereafter, according to the report, a female patron named “Denise” approached one of the responding officers and identified herself as an attorney and “began to ask questions” about the officer’s phone call with Cordray.

“Towards the end of the conversation with ‘Denise,’ (Heyward) summoned the responding officer by calling him ‘boy,'” the report noted.

***

***

The report proceeded to reference a 2006 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in which use of the word “boy” – absent any modifying language – could be consider “a racial epithet depending on the context, inflection, tone of voice, local custom and historical usage.”

“If his intent was not racist, it was certainly to be demeaning,” the responding officer, James Francis Ryan, noted in the report.

Ryan recorded the entire encounter on his body-worn camera, which this media outlet has requested under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). As body-worn camera footage is exempt from FOIA, however, it is not clear whether the city will provide it to us or not.

How was the situation resolved? At approximately 12:40 p.m. EST – nearly two hours after the noise ordinance went into effect – the disc jockey began “disassembling his equipment.” As for the ticket, after a phone conversation between Ryan and Cordray, “the conclusion was drawn that it was best to no longer deal with the drunken and unreasonable (Heyward).” Instead, the matter would “be brought before the mayor’s office and legal department as soon as possible.”

The disc jockey drama occurred just ten days after multiple media outlets reported on a scandal in North Charleston related to the awarding of community gun violence prevention grants. According to our sources, Heyward has “exposure” related to that scandal, although they declined to elaborate on specifics.

Keep it tuned to this media outlet for the latest on both sagas …

***

THE REPORT …

(Via North Charleston)

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass guitarist and dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven (soon to be eight) children.

***

WANNA SOUND OFF?

Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to proactively address? We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.