Florence County hostage situation ends with man dead
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Florence County Hostage
Florence County Hostage
John D. Russell/MORNING NEWS
Published: August 4, 2008
Updated: August 6, 2008
PAMPLICO — A two-hour hostage situation ended Monday morning after Florence County Sheriff’s Office SWAT deputies shot and killed the suspect and rescued the 13-year-old boy being held captive, Sheriff Kenney Boone said.
Thomas John Dick, 40, was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering an undisclosed number of gunshot wounds, Florence County Coroner M.G. “Bubba” Matthews said.
The boy is safe and in the custody of his mother, whom Boone said was Dick’s girlfriend.
A relative to the boy who was at the scene said Monday was the boy’s 13th birthday.
Dick kidnapped the boy at about 9 a.m. from his girlfriend’s house at 1138 Boling Road, Boone said.
Boone wouldn’t say what kind of weapon Dick had in his possession.
Dick showed up at his girlfriend’s workplace Monday morning before the incident, Boone said, and she gave him the keys to her car.
Dick then drove his girlfriend’s car to her home in Pamplico and barricaded himself inside with the boy, Boone said.
“He was going to hurt that child,” Boone said. “And we were totally responsible to make sure that child was safe.”
Shortly after 11 a.m., multiple loud noises, which sounded like gunshots, could be heard several hundred yards away from the house.
The loud noises came from flashbangs, diversion devices used by SWAT deputies while making their entry into the house after Dick threatened the boy, Boone said.
Dick made comments during negotiations that he wouldn’t go to jail, and deputies believed he intended to hurt the boy, Boone said.
“Our only objective was to make sure this hostage was safe,” Boone said. “During the negotiation process, in a moment’s notice we had to make a decision.”
Teddy Horne, who said he is the boy’s great-uncle, showed up at the scene after receiving a call from his nephew, the boy’s father.
Horne said the boy’s father lives in Florence, but was in Texas on business Monday.
The boy’s mother and stepmother were outside the home when deputies intervened, Horne said.
The boy’s stepmother told Horne she saw deputies bring the boy out of the house. She told Horne the boy had blood on him, but the blood was believed to be from the suspect.
Horne said he fears what the boy experienced on his birthday will stay with him forever.
“It’s one he’ll never forget,” Horne said. “I wish he could forget it, but I’m afraid (he won’t).”
Lynn Schaeffer, who lives around the corner from the home where the kidnapping occurred, immediately went outside after hearing what she thought were gunshots.
“I was inside my house and I heard some loud booms like fireworks going off, so my granddaughter and I come running out to make sure our horses were OK,” she said. “And when we got over by the pasture we could see smoke every time they would let something off.”
Dick was arrested in June after a domestic dispute in Hendersonville, N.C., during which he severely beat his girlfriend, Boone said.
The charges Dick faced from that incident include first-degree kidnapping, communicating threats and assault inflicting serious injury, among others, Boone said.
A criminal history report obtained from the State Law Enforcement Division shows Dick has been arrested several times in South Carolina, including a charge that was eventually dropped for assault and battery with intent to kill in 1993.
Matthews said an autopsy will be performed on Dick’s body Tuesday.
Reader Reactions
To citizens rights
Could it be that the flash bombs took longer than 10 seconds and the TV did a video edit. Could it be that the man made a threat to the kid. Just how long does it take for a man to kill a 13 year old? Could it be that some other law enforcement agency is investigating sooo the sheriff will not make a comment on facts during an on going investigation I seem to hear that a lot when the police are in a shooting. Maybe the shots are in the upper body because 1. He might have been holding the kid close and 2. The officers have trained for years to make those types of shots or could it be that you’re an idiot with not enough to do in life.
Just a thought
Flo-town Cops suck…
To CitizenRights – If you will listen at the tape REALLY WELL you will notice that you only hear 3 flash bangs then someone say “go, go, go, go”, then the cameras are turned off. The shooting was not on tape. So, I think it is YOU that needs to watch the tape again. You are obviously on some kind of Jimmy Gregg mission to do your best to make the FCSO & SWAT team look bad. But, you are only making yourself look stupid because, MAINLY, all you have done is throw around false accusations and rumors. If you think they are so corrupt why don’t you become a cop; you can’t because you could not be a “Fearless Leader”!!!!! I stand 110% behind the SWAT team & FCSO!!
CitizensRights - Boone did NOT turn back to the camera and smile after the flashbangs went off. He had the same look as before the flashbangs went off except his eyes showed a great deal of concern. He knew something was happening. Notice that the interview ended at that point and resumed at another time?
I don’t think you heard any shots just more “flash bombs”
I don’t understand where all these “what if” accusations are coming from. I mean do people think this is some kind of conspiracy theory, stuff like this happens and law enforcement must deal with it. I commend the FCSO for their bravery and committment to this county. Florence is a large county and there is alot of crime, and you must have deputies that are commited to their work as well as a Sheriff who is also and I think we have that now with Sheriff Boone. I’m sure there would be people criticizing the FCSO if the boy was harmed, law enforcement can never win. Like one of the previous comments states that the good law enforcement does is never in the news. But thats not even the point, the facts have not even been released and people are automatically speculating that the FCSO did something wrong. People act like there is some long corrupt history with the FCSO. I feel safe in my home at night knowing that FCSO is out on the patrol and if people are breaking the law they should be dealt with accordingly. I’m sure the “conspiracy theorists” would feel different if it was one of their family members in the sitation. You can’t speak about whether something is right or wrong until you’ve walked in the shoes of the person involved.
CitizensRights…What proof do you have that Kenney Boone and any of his officers are corrupt? Because you dont have all the facts of the incident? Why dont you hold your tongue and give SLED and the FCSO time to release all of the details. I’m telling you that they were justified in their actions and that their first priority was to the safety of the child and then to themselves. Dont judge before you know all the facts. Do you have a child? What would YOU have done, either as a cop faced with the situation or as the parent standing helplessly nearby? You dont know what negotiations were like or what occurred. Imagine how long two hours can be. Sit in a room with nothing and do nothing but stare at a clock for two hours…then tell the rest of us how ‘short’ two hours is. Its all relative. I’m guessing you’re gonna vote for Gregg? Well, Good Luck with that. Hope Gregg’s not in office when its your life that needs protecting…
To Montgomery28 - Sheriff Boone talked about the pending charges as did the media. Why? As a way to try to justify the shooting. You said it right that the swat would not go in without know the weapon. That is all I have to say until the weapon is disclosed. But everyone needs to watch the video of Sheriff Boone again and listen carefully. The flash bomb goes over and then in less than 10 seconds five shots back to back just like the corner said. Now, we have two hours and then a 10 second window that is full of problems. How many words can you say in 10 seconds? Also if the Dick was close to the boy and threating him, why were all the five shots in his upper body? Just some question that you all need to think about. And yes, Sheriff Boone and SOME of his boys are probably corrupt. I say corrupt meaning that they do not follow the laws they swear to uphold. They just follow the ones they feel are right. As they say the proof in the pudding.
To CitizenRights – No, having pending charges against you will not or does not give any law enforcement agency the right to kill you or use excessive force; what kind of bull is that????
Let me make it clear…….2 hours was more than enough time; in fact it could have been less time. Every minute will forever be in that child’s mind!!!! And do you honestly think the SWAT team would have gone in if they did not know what kind of weapon Thomas Dick had?
And, as far as being in the news and milking the news; I’m sure FCSO would rather not be in the news but LIFE happens. And like kb379 said the good that officers do isn’t on tv or in the newspapers’. Bad news sells, that’s just the way it works. I know a few people that live in a fantasy world and think if they turn their tv off the bad news will stop and the world will be better but those people really need to come back to reality!!
I am with Montgomery28- I GREATLY commend the actions of the FCSO S.W.A.T team and Sheriff Boone. They do a great job and I know that was a difficult decision to have to make to ensure that the child would not be harmed.I’m sure the officers struggled with having to do what they did and it does not help to hear people talk about something that they know nothing about because they have NO IDEA what law enforcement has to deal with. People always jump on the chance to say negative things about officers but don’t appreciate the good things they do every day that isn’t on tv or in the news.THOSE things don’t get shown but every time someone messes up- that is all the media shows and people voice their little opinions. If you have so much to say about the police- get out there and DO SOMETHING about it and help them, not just critisize in a situation like this.
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