A Liberty City Council member is facing a driving under the influence charge after South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers stopped him in neighboring Greenville County. William Bolt Cooley, 32, who represents Ward 3 on the Liberty council, was arrested Saturday, October 3, according to the city of Liberty.
According to FOX Carolina, the city confirmed that Cooley was charged with DUI by South Carolina Highway Patrol troopers in Greenville County, not in Pickens County where Liberty sits. A Facebook post from Lisa Tucker provided additional detail, noting Cooley's age and the exact date of the arrest, which was not immediately included in the city's initial statement, per public detention records indexed through an online county arrest log.
City officials were quick to draw a line between Cooley's legal trouble and his role in local government. The city said the case is a personal legal matter and that it will not be involved in prosecuting or influencing Cooley's case, nor will it comment on the specifics. Officials also said Cooley was not involved in city business at the time of the incident, and they urged drivers to follow state traffic laws and avoid driving while impaired by any substance that could affect safe vehicle operation.
How Cooley Landed on the Council
Cooley was elected to represent Ward 3 on the Liberty City Council in a November 4, 2025 special election, running unopposed to fill the unexpired term of former council member Daniel Graybeal, according to the Pickens County Courier. That contest was part of a broader pattern in Liberty's late-2025 municipal elections, where races for the town's available council seats went uncontested.
Liberty sits in Pickens County within the Greenville-Mauldin-Easley metropolitan area and operates under a mayor-council government led by Mayor Andrea Wagner and six council members, serving a population of roughly 3,366 residents, per the Municipal Association of South Carolina. South Carolina Highway Patrol Troop 3, the unit that made the stop, patrols a wider footprint than just Liberty's home turf — its territory spans Pickens, Greenville, Anderson, and Oconee counties, according to a report from Upstate DUI.
What South Carolina Law Says About DUI Charges
Under S.C. Code § 56-5-2930, the state defines driving under the influence as operating a vehicle while physical or mental faculties are materially and appreciably impaired by alcohol, drugs, or some combination of the two, a standard that does not require a specific minimum blood alcohol reading to prove impairment. A related statute, S.C. Code § 56-5-2933, creates a separate charge — Driving with an Unlawful Alcohol Concentration — for drivers who register a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher, carrying penalties equivalent to a standard DUI conviction.
For a first offense with a blood alcohol concentration under 0.10 percent, South Carolina law allows for fines of up to $1,022 and as much as 30 days in jail or community service, the Lexington DUI Defense Attorney firm notes in an outline of the state's three-tiered penalty system. Drivers convicted of or completing diversion for a first-offense DUI must also finish the South Carolina Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program and face mandatory license suspension or ignition interlock monitoring, according to the South Carolina Legislature.
Why a Misdemeanor Charge Won't Remove Cooley From Office
Despite the public scrutiny that comes with an elected official facing a criminal charge, South Carolina's constitution sets a high bar for removing a local official from office before any conviction. Under Article VI, Section 8 of the state constitution, the Governor has discretionary authority to suspend an elected local official only if that person is indicted by a grand jury for a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude — a framework the state Supreme Court affirmed in Baddourah v. McMaster, according to a decision indexed on CaseMine. A standard misdemeanor DUI charge, absent further felony enhancements, does not meet that threshold.
The arrest adds to a steady flow of impaired-driving cases moving through Upstate courts. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety recorded more than 16,000 DUI arrests statewide during recent annual reporting, underscoring how common the charge Cooley now faces has become across the region. FOX Carolina reported it had reached out to South Carolina Highway Patrol for additional details on Cooley's arrest.
