Former Pine Ridge Police Chief Accused of Using Threats, Reputation to Coerce Sex

Arrest warrants provided by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department reveal what alleged actions led to a former Pine Ridge police chief being charged with criminal sexual conduct and attempted criminal sexual conduct.

According to the warrants, William “Billy” Parker, 65, is accused of using “a series of elaborate and unsolicited email requests to coerce the victim” into vaginal intercourse and oral sex. The “victim decided not to comply with the coerced request” for oral sex, the warrant for the attempted charge notes.

“The coercion involved using compromising photos of others and implied threats to the victim and family members,” the warrants detail, explaining that Parker used fake email accounts to send the messages. “After the email contact, the victim contacted [Parker] and he used his influence and reputation as a former law-enforcement officer to encourage the victim to comply with the requests.”

Authorities executed a search warrant for Parker’s home and found corroborating evidence, the warrants add.

Parker was arrested Feb. 18 and is charged with with third-degree criminal sexual conduct and third-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct. He was released from the Lexington County Detention Center after meeting the conditions of his bond.

Criminal sexual conduct in the third degree is a felony in South Carolina, and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

According to The Lexington Ledger, Parker, who served as police chief for Pine Ridge from 2011 to 2017, lost his job in 2018 when the Town Council decided it was “separating” from him while he was out with an injury. The reasons he was let go are unclear.

The separation was the start of a contentious saga for the town’s police department, as it parted ways with five chiefs in a three-year span.

Before his time leading the Pine Ridge Police Department, Parker was part of the Cayce Police and the state Highway Patrol.