A Spartanburg man is facing charges after police say he chased down a woman while naked, threw her to the ground, and beat her head into the concrete near the city's Forest Street corridor Tuesday morning. Officers who responded to the area of North Forest and Wesley streets found the woman standing in the roadway, her shirt ripped, with a cut visible on her neck.
According to FOX Carolina, the woman told police she had been walking toward the soup kitchen when Rodney Goggins stopped her near Arch Street and began following her, doing things against her will. Arch Street sits near a cluster of community support sites, including the Divinity Care Facility for Men shelter and the Spartanburg Housing Authority offices, according to a SCIWAY directory of local homeless resources. The woman said she had been heading toward the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen, which serves meals daily out of a location on South Forest Street, per the Spartanburg Housing Authority.
Witness Describes Naked Attacker Chasing Victim
A witness told police she saw Goggins come out of a house naked and chase the victim down. Per the same account, Goggins forcibly stopped the woman, threw her to the ground, and kicked and hit her. The witness yelled at Goggins to stop and called 911, the report states.
The woman then began walking toward the police station, but police say Goggins followed her again. Spartanburg police headquarters sits at 206 N. Forest Street, which the Post and Courier reported the city completed construction on in late 2023, placing the victim's intended destination along the same stretch where the confrontation unfolded.
Second Attack Outside Abandoned Home
A separate witness saw two people fighting in front of an abandoned home at 579 North Forest Street, one of them completely naked, with both screaming, according to police. Investigators say Goggins briefly went back into the home to put on pajama pants, then returned and beat the woman's head into the concrete.
When officers moved to place him in handcuffs, police say Goggins tried to run in front of a patrol car. He was booked into the Spartanburg County Detention Center, which sits on California Avenue and is operated by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office Detention Services Division, according to Jail Exchange. Jail Exchange reports an average of 743 inmates in county-wide custody.
What Charges Could Look Like Under State Law
Formal charges had not been detailed in the police account, but South Carolina law offers a framework for what Goggins could face. Indecent exposure in a public place is a misdemeanor under state law punishable by up to three years in prison, according to the South Carolina Legislature's code. Assault charges in the state are broken into degrees, with second-degree assault and battery carrying up to three years, according to Saluda Law. Prosecutors typically determine the precise degree based on the severity of injuries and the force involved.
Victim Resources Available Locally
Project R.E.S.T. provides temporary emergency shelter for domestic-violence victims and their dependent children.
