Three days ago, this news outlet reported exclusively on the arrest of 53-year-old Robert Christie Wray of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina on the charge of first degree criminal sexual conduct – an alleged violation of S.C. Code of Laws (§ 16-3-652).
Since then, we have learned that Wray – a GOP political operative who rubbed shoulders with some of the most influential politicos in the Palmetto Lowcountry – was denied bond by a Charleston county magistrate.
That means he will remain behind bars on this charge for the foreseeable future … much to the relief of those who say they crossed paths with him in recent months.
Wray is staring down a very serious sexual assault charge – one that could conceivably put him in prison for up to three decades.
Of course, serious charges haven’t kept Palmetto State judges from keeping criminals locked up, have they?
No, sadly …
And given the unheard-of leniency being doled out by certain South Carolina judges lately we wondered … what led to bond being denied in Wray’s case?
We have reached out twice to the Mount Pleasant, S.C. police department seeking information on this case but have yet to receive a response to our inquiries. Meanwhile, our news director Mandy Matney has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the agency seeking documents pertaining to the case.
We have received no response to our FOIA, either.
As we noted in our original reporting, we received “several troubling reports regarding Wray from multiple sources” in the weeks leading up to his arrest.
According to our sources, he allegedly exhibited “erratic” behavior at a recent convening of the Charleston Meeting – a gathering of influential conservatives organized by Charleston businessman Gene D’Agostino and GOP political operative Andrew Boucher.
“He had to be escorted out (of the meeting) and was yelling about not being good enough to be in there,” a witness to the disturbance told us.
Prior to being asked to leave, Wray reportedly followed one of the meeting’s female attendees as she made her way around the event – including accompanying her to the door of a ladies’ restroom and inside a private reception room.
This incident reportedly took place at the exclusive Harbor Club, located at the upscale 22 WestEdge building overlooking the Ashley River on the Charleston peninsula.
“He started off calm but not really making a lot of sense,” a witness told us. “But when they asked him to leave, he got belligerent.”
Our sources did not name the woman Wray allegedly stalked at the Charleston Meeting. Several names of Wray’s other alleged stalking victims have been provided to us, however – including the name of one very high-profile elected official from the Lowcountry – but we are not publishing any of that information.
As our story began making the rounds in the Charleston area this week, though, the initial reports we received about Wray and his alleged behavior began to multiply.
“A friend of mine had reported him for stalking her a few weeks ago,” a source familiar with the situation told us. “She met him at a church function. A few days later, he showed up at her house with a (political) sign for her front yard. She asked him to leave and take the sign (she has no idea how he found out where she lives). She was worried about his mental state so she reported him.”
(Click to view)
(Via: Charleston County)
Several other sources reached out to us with similar reports regarding Wray (above).
“MULTIPLE stalking victims,” an attorney familiar with the case told us.
While there is relief Wray is “not going to be back out acting crazy,” according to one of his alleged victims, there is concern local law enforcement did not take the threat he posed seriously enough.
One source allegedly stalked by Wray told us point blank that he should have “never been in a position to do what he did” to the alleged victim in sexual assault case.
Another echoed those sentiments in a message obtained by this news outlet.
“He was served a stalking notice and was spoken to by law enforcement twice (but) still managed to assault a woman after all of this,” one of Wray’s alleged victims said. “I am sick to my stomach.”
-FITSNews
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