Suspect released from prison weeks before fatal hotel shooting

A 25-year-old Darlington man who is accused of gunning down a World World II veteran was released from jail just weeks before the slaying, according to state records.

Sylvester Davis Jr. was arrested Tuesday after a brief vehicle chase in Darlington County.

Davis, along with 17-year-old Dondre Scott, each face four counts of armed robbery and murder in connection with the death of 83-year-old Clair C. Chaffin.

Chaffin, of Archer, Fla., died Monday after being shot during an attempted armed robbery at the Thunderbird Inn in Florence on Monday morning.

S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services spokesman Peter O’Boyle said Davis was released in May after serving a six-month sentence for violating his parole.

He was paroled after serving a five-year prison sentence for second-degree burglary and grand larceny convictions, O’Boyle said.

Davis, who began his prison sentence in 2005, received a one-day reduction in his sentence for every day served without incident, O’Boyle said.

This is the procedure for every prisoner serving time for such nonviolent offenses as second-degree burglary and grand larceny, O’Boyle said.

Davis’ bond was revoked because he stopped reporting to his parole officer in 2006 and was later listed as an absconder by the state Department of Corrections.

S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services apparently didn’t know Davis’ whereabouts until Oct. 30, when he was arrested by Darlington County sheriff’s deputies for public drunkenness.His address was given as 121 Sanders St., Apt. 12, when he was booked at the Darlington County Detention Center.

David and Scott will remain in custody at the Florence County Detention Center pending the outcome of an Aug. 7 bond hearing before a circuit court judge on the murder charge they each face.

Florence County Magistrate Belinda Timmons denied bond for both men on the armed robbery charges after a hearing Wednesday afternoon in Effingham, saying she felt they are a danger to society, according to a press release from the Florence County Sheriff’s Office.

A third person in custody will likely be charged in connection with an armed robbery involving the suspects, but not in connection with Chaffin’s death, Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone said in a previous interview.

The identity of that person hasn’t been released because investigators are still conducting interviews, Florence County Sheriff’s Capt. Brett Camp said Thursday.