COLUMBIA – A Richland Two school board member has been criminally charged for her role in an altercation that involved a state senator, the senator’s sister and spouse of the school board chairwoman.
Elkins-Johnson
Monica Elkins-Johnson, 51, of Columbia, was charged Thursday with disorderly conduct, according to online police and court records.
On Jan. 31, Elkins-Johnson turned herself in to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where she appeared for a bond hearing.
Elkins-Johnson posted a $237.50 personal recognizance bond. Her next scheduled court date is March 18, according to the Richland County Public Index.
As a condition of her bond, Elkins-Johnson has been ordered to have no contact with any of the victims, identified in court records as Sen. Mia McLeod; Erica Davis, McLeod’s sister; and Stacy McKie, husband of board chair Amelia McKie.
A Richland County Sheriff’s Office news release says Elkins-Johnson “did attack several individuals,” and cursed and threatened them.
The incident was caught on video, the release said. A police report said the altercation occurred around 9:30 p.m., shortly after the board meeting adjourned.
Footage released to The Voice shows a scrum of individuals in the foyer of the Richland Two Institute for Technology, moments after the Jan. 22 school board meeting adjourned.
The footage shows security guards separating Elkins-Johnson from the group.
Shortly before 10 p.m., The Voice observed Elkins-Johnson and another board member in the parking lot standing near a vehicle. Two security guards stood close by.
Two police reports were filed in relation to the altercation that followed the Jan. 22 board meeting at the Richland Two Institute for Technology.
One report stated that as McLeod and her sister were leaving the meeting, the suspect aggressively approached one of the sisters.
A second report stated the suspect called Stacy McKie several “offensive words,” and threatened to kill him.
Elkins Johnson filed a petition for a restraining order against Stacy McKie, claiming in court records that he cursed at her and alleged harassment. A magistrate denied Elkins-Johnson’s petition.
Things turned heated after the Jan. 22 board meeting, a meeting in which the board discussed proposed policy revisions that would make it easier to remove board members from officer positions, such as board chair, vice-chair or treasurer.
The proposed policy changes come following an investigation by The Voice into Richland Two board members failing to file required ethics forms with the S.C. Ethics Commission.
McKie was fined $51,750 for failing to file several campaign disclosure reports.
Elkins-Johnson didn’t file several quarterly campaign disclosure reports from the 2016 campaign – dating back to April 2017 – until Dec. 27, 2018, according to the ethics commission online database.
It is unclear what ethics fines, if any, Elkins-Johnson faces. An ethics commission spokesperson couldn’t be reached for comment.
