Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Formally Charges Fair Play Man for Tuesday Disturbance Call

Billy Arthur Barrier

(Walhalla, SC)————————————–A Fair Play man remains in jail today, on a combined $31,872.00 surety bond, after being formally charged by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office in relation to a Tuesday evening disturbance where the SWAT team was activated.

47 year old Billy Arthur Barrier, of E. Fairplay Boulevard, has been charged by the Sheriff’s Office with three counts each of Threatening the Life of a Public Official and Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature.

Deputies from the Uniform Patrol Bureau were dispatched to an address on Durham Road in Fair Play Tuesday afternoon in reference to a disturbance call. Deputies were notified by witnesses that Barrier was intoxicated and was the driver of a vehicle that hit a concrete pillar and a neighbor’s vehicle.

Deputies made contact with Barrier, who went into his residence and poured a substance, identified as bug killer, on his front porch. Afterwards, Barrier locked himself inside his house and made threats to shoot the deputies.

Barrier also came out of the house and threw kitchen knives at the deputies. Afterwards, he went back inside the residence and barricaded himself again. According to deputies, Barrier also damaged a window at his residence.

The Sheriff’s Office SWAT team was activated and responded to the scene. As negotiations continued, Barrier came out of the house and picked up a vase and a flower pot and threw it in the direction of the deputies on scene.

Before he could make it back inside his residence, deputies took Barrier into custody. Barrier was transported to the hospital by paramedics, for precautionary reasons, and was later released from the hospital and transported to jail.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol conducted the investigation into the traffic accident. Barrier was charged by troopers with one count each of Driving under Suspension, Driving under the Influence and Leaving the Scene of an Accident in an Unattended Vehic