Follow-Up File: Upstate Dentist Shooting

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A few years ago, my news outlet garnered the unwavering loyalty of adult entertainers across South Carolina by vigorously opposing the taxpayer-funded entrapment of exotic dancers by the so-called “God Cops,” a group of law enforcement officers and prosecutors who engaged in a less-than-savory takedown of a Greenville, S.C. strip club.

Remember those stories?

The “God Cops” spent tens of thousands of tax dollars on lap dances and alcoholic drinks at the former Platinum Plus strip club in Greenville. Basically, they used public funds to “make it rain in the champagne room” – where they allegedly proceeded to violate the one rule of the champagne room.

“The deputies – in addition to deriving considerable (sexual) gratification during the raids – repeatedly attempted to convince the dancers into performing inappropriate sex acts that were in violation of the club’s policies (and against the will of the dancers themselves),” we reported.

“They were falling down drunk,” one dancer told us. “They were shit-faced – and totally getting off on (the dances).”

As if that weren’t bad enough, prosecutors proceeded to charge the dancers criminally after the fact.

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Thankfully one dancer – then-21-year-old Aimee Joy Harms – fought back. Harms fought the law – and won. Not only were the unfair charges against her dismissed, but prosecutors dropped charges against several other dancers, too.

I condemned this whole operation, arguing that “government has absolutely no right to take the money it seizes from citizens and spend it on entrapment efforts like this.” I added that “intoxicated law enforcement officers have absolutely no right to pressure dancers into doing things they don’t want to do – especially under false pretenses.”

In the years since those articles were published, I’ve maintained good relations with many of the dancers who were unfairly targeted. Most of them have gone on to successful careers – having used the resources they accumulated during their stints at the clubs to advance those careers.

Some of these dancers have remained in the adult entertainment business, however – including one who reached out to me over the weekend after we published this report on Upstate dentist Matthew E. Healey.

To recap: Healey, 57, of Greenville, S.C. was shot and killed by police at approximately 12:45 a.m. EDT on Friday morning (September 15, 2023) outside of The Trophy Club – an adult entertainment establishment located at 450 Airport Road in Greenville.

The shooting shocked the community given Healey’s status as a well-known, widely respected family dentist in Greenville.

Initial reports indicate Healey was carrying “multiple weapons” at the time of the shooting and disregarded law enforcement’s commands to drop his weapons. During law enforcement’s response, at least one deputy of the Greenville County sheriff's office and one officer of the Greenville police department discharged their firearms – striking Healey at least once.

Healey was transported to Prisma Health Greenville Memorial but “succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead” at approximately 1:20 a.m. EDT – less than an hour after police received the call from the club.

As a matter of protocol, the incident is under investigation by the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED).

As we noted in our original coverage, Healey was a well-regarded dentist who had been “providing top quality dental care to patients in the Greenville area since 1992.” A graduate of the staunchly conservative Bob Jones University, his online bio stated that he enjoyed “fishing, family and local church activities.”

Healey clearly had other interests, though.

As we reported, he was arrested on December 30, 2022 on drug charges and a “malicious injury” charge. The following month, the state dentistry board – a division of the S.C. Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation (SCLLR) – issued an order (.pdf) announcing it had probable cause to “temporarily suspend (Healey) from the practice of dentistry.”

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RELATED | UPSTATE DENTIST SHOT AND KILLED

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As this news outlet continues to investigate Healey's prior interactions with law enforcement and state regulators, information from the shooting last week is staring to trickle in - including from our sources at the clubs about Healey's drug use.

"(He) always had powder," one dancer told this news outlet, referring to Healey's affinity for cocaine. "And he wasn't shy about sharing it."

"He'd give you a bump for a blow (job) - or for jerking him off," another confirmed. "He was fine for a while but then it got outta hand though. Way outta hand. He got outta hand. They told us to stay away from him or we couldn't dance."

Several dancers referred to a recent "incident" involving Healey but declined to discuss details for fear of losing their jobs.

Sources familiar with the status of the ongoing investigation confirmed these reports.

"He had a good amount of white powder substance on him when the shooting happened," one source familiar with the case told me. "He was apparently supplying the young dancers with coke in exchange for 'companionship' and was on trespass notice from that club from an incident that he was involved in."

Prior to the shooting, Healey was reportedly at an off-site party with at least one adult entertainer "doing coke" prior to her driving him to the club.

Prosecutorial sources confirmed these details.

"That's accurate," a source familiar with the investigation told this news outlet in reference to the specific drug allegations involving Healey.

Count on this news outlet to continue digging into this case and provide our audience with any new information we are able to obtain from our sources or through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR ...

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven (soon to be eight) children.

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