A 29-year-old man is facing charges after deputies say he placed a foreign substance on a woman's clothing inside a Food Lion in Columbia, South Carolina, prompting investigators to search for other possible victims. Travis Henson told deputies the act was part of a fetish, but investigators are not taking his word for it. Deputies collected a DNA sample from the woman's clothing.
The Richland County Sheriff's Department was called around 8 a.m. to the Food Lion at 2312 Decker Boulevard, a grocery store in the Decker Village shopping center, after a woman reported that a man had distributed a substance she believed to be a bodily fluid on her clothing, according to deputies cited by WYFF. Investigators identified the man as Henson and collected a DNA sample from the woman's clothing to determine exactly what was placed on it.
When questioned, Henson admitted to placing the substance on the woman's clothing but claimed it was done as part of a fetish, denying that it was a bodily fluid, the station's report states. The substance's identity remains unclear.
Charges Carry Very Different Stakes
Investigators charged Henson with third-degree assault and battery and voyeurism, two misdemeanors that sit far apart in terms of potential punishment. Third-degree assault and battery, the lowest tier of assault charges under South Carolina law, carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $500 under South Carolina Code § 16-3-600.
Voyeurism is a far heavier charge by comparison. A first offense under South Carolina Code § 16-17-470 is punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $500, according to Justia Law. Subsequent voyeurism offenses escalate to felony status carrying up to five years in prison, per Ryan Beasley Law, and convictions can also require registration on the state's sex offender list.
Henson was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center at 201 John Mark Dial Drive in Columbia.
Deputies Believe There Could Be More Victims
Investigators say they believe there may be additional victims who encountered Henson in similar incidents. The Richland County Sheriff's Department is encouraging those additional victims to come forward.
The department oversees nearly 800 sworn deputies across the county, and Lott was named National Sheriff of the Year in 2021 by the National Sheriffs' Association, according to Crime Stoppers Global Solutions. This is not the first retail disturbance the agency has investigated this year — in February, deputies charged a woman with third-degree assault and battery after a checkout-line argument turned physical at a Columbia Sam's Club, with that suspect also booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
For now, the case against Henson remains under investigation as authorities continue seeking additional victims. Anyone who believes they encountered Henson in a similar incident is asked to contact Midlands Crime Stoppers.
