Mayoral candidate admits to staging assault, kidnapping for publicity, votes

Image: Sumter Police Dept.

Image: Sumter Police Department

Sumter,SC (WOLO) —- A Sumter Mayoral candidate along with an male acquaintance face several charges after police say she staged a assault and kidnapping .Police say Belcher made the entire story up in an attempt to get publicity, sympathy and votes for the upcoming November election.

Authorities say 29 year old Sabrina Belcher recorded and posted a video on Facebook live where police say she claimed she had been attacked and kidnapped. Police say she brought those same claims to the Sumter Police station to report the incident around 11:30 p.m Tuesday night.

Police say she told them she had been beaten and then kidnapped by an unknown man during what she said at the time was an attempted robbery.

Officials say Belcher was injured at the time of the report and her car windows had been knocked out, something she claims took place during the incident. Belcher was beaten so severely she had to get medical attention at an area hospital.

Sumter police say she offered them the name of a suspect in the attack, but officials say that name was as false as her story. The actual man involved according to police was 34 year old Christopher Eaddy, who investigators say Belcher has been in contact with and planned the incident with.

According to authorities that wasn’t all they attempted to do. Investigators determined, Belcher and Eaddy tried to smear a fellow candidate in a recording and had plans of trying to tarnish other opponents running against her in the race before voters headed to the polls to cast their ballots.

Sumter Police say Belcher faces charges of filing a false police report of a felony and conspiracy, while her alleged accomplice is charged with conspiracy. The duo are currently being held at the
County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center.

Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark released a brief statement surrounding the incident saying,

“This was simply an effort to create disorder and discontent in our
community for personal gain…As aresult, a valuable number of resources, including personnel,
manhours of the police department as well as local medical professionals, were wasted based on false information.”