A Clover police officer is facing serious felony charges after Chester County deputies say she threatened her boyfriend with a gun during a domestic incident Thursday evening.
Authorities identified the officer as 44-year-old Mara Anderton, a patrol officer with the Clover Police Department. She is charged with domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and resisting arrest, and is currently off the street while the case plays out.
Deputies were called to a report of a domestic situation around 5:30 p.m. Thursday and arrested Anderton outside the city of Chester, according to The Herald. The Chester County sheriff's office is handling the criminal case, and Anderton remained in the county jail pending an initial hearing, the outlet reported.
Clover Police Chief Randy Grice said the department holds its officers to a high standard and that conduct like this will not be tolerated. An internal review is underway, while investigators with Chester County continue their work on the criminal side, according to WCCB Charlotte.
Reporting shows Anderton has served as a patrol officer with the Clover Police Department since 2024. Coverage also notes that Clover, a town of roughly 8,000 residents, is policed by a department of about 30 officers. Local outlets say few additional details about what led up to the alleged confrontation have been released so far.
Legal outlook
Under South Carolina law, domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature is a felony that can carry lengthy prison terms when the conduct shows extreme indifference to human life or results in great bodily injury. Justia summarizes the statute as S.C. Code §16-25-65.
State law also provides for an additional mandatory five-year sentence for anyone convicted of committing a violent crime while in possession of a firearm, on top of punishment for the underlying offense, under S.C. Code §16-23-490, as outlined by Justia.
What happens next
The Chester County sheriff’s office will manage the criminal prosecution while Clover police continue their internal probe into Anderton’s conduct. She is expected to appear for an initial bail hearing in local court.
WBTV reported that Anderton has been placed on administrative leave without pay while both criminal and internal investigations move forward.
