Police: South Carolina woman beaten in hotel room before writing ‘Call 911’ on window in soap
By Graham Cawthon
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NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina (WJCL) — A South Carolina man has been charged in connection with a violent kidnapping and assault at a hotel.
Keith Jerome Galloway was charged Wednesday with kidnapping and first-degree assault and battery in connection with an incident that happened more than two years ago, according to the North Charleston Police Department.
Police said officers responded March 13, 2024, to a hotel in the 7400 block of Northside Drive. When officers arrived, they found a woman inside a room in disarray with visible injuries.
The specific hotel was not named by police.
The woman told police she met Galloway about a week earlier and considered him a friend. She said an argument over a lost room deposit and the possibility of having to leave the hotel escalated into violence.
According to police, Galloway destroyed the woman’s cellphone, disconnected the room phone and prevented her from leaving. She told officers he repeatedly assaulted her. Police said other hotel guests heard her screams.
Investigators said Galloway fled on foot before officers arrived. The woman, still afraid to leave the room, wrote “Call 911” and the room number on a window with soap, prompting others to check on her and help alert authorities.
Police later identified Galloway, 41, during the investigation. Members of the Warrants Unit found him in custody at the Berkeley County Jail, where he was served with arrest warrants. Authorities said he was later transferred to the Al Cannon Detention Center.
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