EASTOVER, S.C. — A Richland County mayor has been arrested following allegations of a fight earlier in the month.
According to the Richland County Sheriff's Department, Eastover Mayor Phillip Gunter was arrested on Friday and charged with assault and battery stemming from an incident that erupted during a social gathering on May 5.
According to deputies, the gathering occurred after a community event on May 5. That's where deputies were initially called to a fight in progress. However, by the time they arrived, the fight had ended and no one involved was still at the location.
However, the alleged victim called 911 from another location to report that he had been involved in a fight with Gunter and had been injured.
Authorities said that the investigation that followed took time as investigators conducted interviews with the victim, witnesses, and Gunter. Authorities said that Gunter was the instigator and knows the victim but cooperated with the investigation.
Authorities said Gunter turned himself in after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was charged with assault and battery in the second degree and has been booked into Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center where jail records show he remains as of 5 p.m.
Jail records show that he has been granted a $7,500 surety bond.