Bishop

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A Union man accused of kidnapping and severely beating his estranged wife will remain in jail after being denied bond Tuesday afternoon.

Union County Magistrate Jimmy Crocker said Wednesday morning that during a bond hearing held Tuesday afternoon at the Union County Jail, Magistrate Whitney Smith denied Charles Herbert Bishop’s request for bond. Smith’s ruling means Bishop will remain in jail until his case can be heard in General Sessions Court.

Bishop, 35, 210 Old English Road, Union, is charged by the Union County Sheriff’s Office with kidnapping, attempted murder, and simple possession of marijuana.

The charges against Bishop stem from an investigation that began Sunday morning when a deputy patrolling Peach Orchard Road was flagged down by a motorist who turned out to be Bishop’s estranged wife. The woman told the deputy that Bishop had held her against her will at his house since early Saturday afternoon and had severely beaten her. She said she was only able to escape that morning because Bishop had fallen asleep.

In announcing Bishop’s arrest, Sheriff David Taylor said the woman had gone to Bishop’s house after he’d called her and asked her to come so he could talk to her. Taylor said the victim later told deputies that when she arrived she discovered Bishop had been drinking. Over the course of the next 18 hours, Taylor said the victim was repeatedly beaten and choked by Bishop, escaping only after he passed out due to the combination of alcohol consumption and exhaustion

The victim was taken by deputies to Wallace Thomson Hospital to be treated for the multiple injuries she’d suffered including a busted lip, bruising and swelling about the head, a shoe print on the left side of her face, a deep laceration on her right hand, and red marks and swelling on both arms. Given the severity of the victim’s injuries, Taylor said his office would recommend that Bishop be denied bond.

On Wednesday afternoon, Taylor welcomed the magistrate’s decision to deny Bishop’s request for bond, citing not only the injuries to the victim, but also Bishop’s criminal record.

“The combination of the severity of the crime and his previous criminal record is why we asked that the bond be denied,” Taylor said. “Also, at the time he kidnapped and beat the victim, he was out on bond for criminal domestic violence against the victim in Spartanburg County. So he needed to remain in jail.”

Bishop was taken into custody at his home Sunday and charged with kidnapping and attempted murder. The simple possession of marijuana charge was added after a subsequent search of his house by deputies turned up a small containing a green plant material believed to be marijuana.

When he announced Bishop’s arrest, Taylor said the incident remained under investigation and that more arrests were a possibility. He said Monday afternoon that the investigation was continuing and that more arrests remained a possibility but declined to comment further.