Myrtle Beach police arrested Michael Shawn Miller Tuesday for Criminal Domestic Violence of a High and Aggravated Nature, Criminal Sexual Assault and Kidnapping.
A woman says Miller beat her with his hands, an ashtray, burned her with cigarettes and choked her. She said he forced her to perform sexual acts and wouldn't let her leave.
Miller had just got out of jail for assaulting the same woman.
"The thing that is tragic about it all is that her story is pretty bad, but it's not the only one like this we are going to have this year," said Horry and Georgetown County Solicitor Greg Hembree.
South Carolina has a high rate of domestic violence and a fairly high rate of domestic homicide, said Hembree.
"In magistrate court, there is often not a prosecutor involved and that leads to a lot of cases being thrown out."
If the victim isn't able to afford an attorney, they often end up representing themselves against a skilled defense lawyer. "You don't see a high quality of justice coming out of that model."
A little more than six years ago with the help of a state money, South Carolina judicial courts created a domestic violence court in each of the state's 16 circuit courts to help prosecute domestic violence criminals. A specific judge deals with domestic violence cases primarily, and the court provides an attorney to domestic violence victims.
"We've put some resources in it, and we've seen a decrease in the number of cases."
The number of domestic violence cases in Horry and Georgetown county decreased from 1,100 to 762 since the program has been in place, said Hembree.
But the money funding the program is set to expire in June 2012. Without the funds, the domestic violence courts would be dissolved.
The South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination requested $1.6 million to keep the program running. The money would be given out equally to the circuit courts.
"To build up something successful, it took us about three years to do that, and now you have it going, that would be the real crying shame of it all to drop it," said Hembree.
Hembree said Miller's case is consistent with domestic violence predators' increasing abusive behavior.
"It escalates with domestic violence. If you can catch it in the beginning of the process one of two things usually happens, the combater will change their ways or the victim will leave. Holding people accountable will empower the victim that someone is backing them up."
"That lady's case happens pretty regularly, and you want to prevent it to getting to that degree. If we lose the domestic violence court, it's going to take a long time to build it back up again."
