Cole looked at the deed for about ten seconds. The young deputy looked at it for thirty, reading every line like he was studying for an exam. When he finished, he looked up at James with an expression that shifted from suspicion to embarrassment to something close to apology in the space of a single breath. “Sir, well, uh,” the young deputy said, “I’m sorry for the disturbance.” “Don’t be sorry,” James said. “You did your job. You responded to a call and verified the facts. That’s exactly how it’s supposed to work.”
Cole folded his arms and looked out at the driveway, where the cruiser lights were still painting the live oaks in slow blue sweeps. “Marshal, I’m going to need to document this as a false report. The caller provided information she knew to be inaccurate. That’s a criminal offense under South Carolina law.” “I know,” James said. “Section 16-17-722. Filing a false police report. Misdemeanor, up to thirty days and a fine.” Cole almost smiled. “You could have let me cite the statute, sir.” “Old habits.”
Cole wrote his report on the hood of his cruiser while the young deputy stood nearby, still looking slightly shell-shocked by the realization that he had been dispatched to arrest the former chief deputy U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of South Carolina for the crime of sitting on his own porch. Before Cole left, he walked back to the veranda steps. The light bar was off now. The driveway was dark again except for the porch lights and the fireflies starting to spark in the tree line.
“Sir,” Cole said, “I don’t know what she’s been doing, but I know it didn’t start tonight. The dispatcher told me this address has had seven complaints in nine months, all from the same source. That’s a pattern.” “It is,” James said. “You building a case?” “I built the case six months ago, Cole. Now I’m just letting her add to it.” Cole nodded. He understood. He had learned that patience from the man standing in front of him.
The next morning, Sunday, James called Harlan Griggs. Harlan picked up on the second ring, which meant he had been expecting the call. “She did it,” James said. “Tell me.” James told him the 911 call, the false report, the lies about the property being vacant, about James being unauthorized, the fact that Patricia had met him, corresponded with him, and filed complaints naming him as the owner, all of which proved she knew exactly who he was and fabricated every word of that call.
Harlan was quiet for eight seconds. Then he said, “That’s the move. That’s what we were waiting for. Filing a false police report is a criminal offense, and it opens the door to every civil claim we’ve been holding. Harassment. Defamation. Abuse of process. Intentional infliction of emotional distress. Combined with the embezzlement and the real-estate fraud, we’re looking at a case that will end her in every direction. Criminal, civil, and professional.” “File it Monday,” James said. “I already drafted the complaint,” Harlan said. “I wrote it two months ago. I just needed her to give me the last page.”
Harlan Griggs filed the civil complaint on Monday morning. Forty-seven pages. Seven causes of action. Named defendants: Patricia Davenport, individually and in her capacity as HOA president; Todd Davenport, her husband, who sat on the Palmetto Crest Architectural Review Committee and had co-signed three of the fraudulent HOA checks; and the Palmetto Crest Estates Homeowners Association as an entity.
The causes of action read like a greatest-hits album of everything Patricia had done wrong. Harassment through repeated frivolous complaints. Defamation through false public statements about James’s property. Tortious interference with property rights. Unauthorized survey and trespass. Real-estate fraud through dual misrepresentation in MLS listings. Embezzlement of HOA funds. And abuse of process through the filing of a false police report. Total damages sought: $1.4 million. That number included treble damages for the trespass and property damage under South Carolina law, compensatory damages for the harassment campaign, and disgorgement of every commission Patricia had earned using James’s property as a selling point.