BLYTHEWOOD – A Richland County deputy’s incident report states that the Blythewood Chamber of Commerce is the victim in an incident that happened during business hours at the Manor, the town’s event venue, on Thursday, Sept. 11. The Blythewood Chamber of Commerce, however, was not involved in the incident.
Michelle Layman, the wife of the Manor’s Director, Fred Layman III, walked into the Manor – a public building – a little after 4 p.m. with her 10-month-old baby to leave a check. She ended up with a trespassing notice before being taken away in an ambulance.
Fred Layman, who is on medical leave from the Manor, said the check was in place of a Cash App payment he had received for a cheerleading program held at the Manor that he had not yet turned in. He told The Voice that he had asked his wife to drop the check off before she picked up their children from day care.
Michelle Layman, a petite Vietnamese-American woman, spoke with The Voice after she was discharged from the hospital on Sept. 13, giving the following account.
“I went to the Manor to give a check for payment,” Michelle Layman said. “I have my baby and go to staff’s office to give the check.
“I was told that they will not accept my check and that I cannot leave the building without taking it with me. When I put the check under the office door and start to leave, the mayor and another staff member hold the front door so I cannot leave. I get scared and become distressed when they won’t let me out of the building. I told them I need air and that I need my medicine out of my car, but they keep holding the door. I get exhausted and sit down in a chair, then they stop holding the door.
“During struggle to get out, before I sit down, I called my husband to tell him what is happening,” Michelle Layman said.
“While I am sitting in the chair trying to get air, the officers come in the door. They open the door so I can get air and they get my medicine from my car. The officer talked to the mayor. The firetruck came and fireman gave me oxygen,” she said. She said the family’s nanny headed to The Manor to pick up the baby, but that she (Michelle) was not well enough to go with them.
Fred Layman told The Voice that surveillance cameras cover the area where his wife was allegedly blocked from leaving the building, and that he has contacted the Sheriff’s Department to have the video secured. Six days after the incident, council members say Interim Administrator Ed Driggers has not provided them any information about the video except to say it is secured.
In answer to an inquiry from The Voice, Driggers emailed the following: “There is video and I have reviewed that video. It is part of an ongoing review of the incident and other personnel matters at the Manor.”
Mayor Sloan Griffin has not answered emails or phone calls from The Voice concerning the matter.
Mayor Pro Tem Donald Brock and Councilwoman Andrea Fripp arrived at the Manor as Michelle Layman was being placed in the ambulance. A deputy on scene spoke with both The Voice and the two council members concerning the incident.
According to Brock, a deputy at the scene said that there would be no report issued regarding the incident, but after three emails and two phone calls from The Voice over a three-day period, RCSD released the incident report on Monday, Sept. 15.
The deputy’s incident report differs from Michelle Layman’s account of what happened, but she says the officers gathered their information from the mayor, not from her.
“…Upon arrival at the scene, …I spoke with the Mayor of Blythewood, who reported that a female …the wife of a Blythewood employee had entered the property without authorization and slipped a white envelope in the main office with nothing but a person’s name on it and tried to leave,” the incident report states.
“The Blythewood Mayor and other officials asked her to pick it up and to leave the area. (redacted) refused to pick up the envelope, saying that they want them to have it, which was found out later to contain a check supposedly by (redacted) and while being confronted (redacted) stated to have medical episode,” the report stated.
“While on scene …husband called [911] stating that his wife was being held hostage by the mayor, which was found to be untrue,” the officer wrote.
“(Redacted) having a medical episode, prompted a call for service by CFD [Columbia Fire Department] and RCEMS [Richland County EMS] with CFD arrived on scene first to stabilize (redacted). While CFD was working on (redacted) the enclosed envelope was collected, after (redacted) accept to take back the envelope. Deputies were informed by the officials of Blythewood they wanted to put (redacted) on Trespass from the property,” the report stated.
The report also stated that EMS arrived on scene and transported (name redacted) for evaluation and medical treatment.
“This report is for the trespass notice that was issued,” the report stated.
“Ms. Layman, in my opinion, has the right to enter Doko Manor, just like anyone else, to conduct business,” Blythewood Mayor Pro Tem Donald Brock said in an email response to The Voice’s request for comment. “It’s clearly a public building, owned and held by the citizens of Blythewood.
“I am not aware of any past disturbances that occurred while she was present, and the fact that a Richland County deputy issued her a trespassing notice is uncalled-for at best,” Brock said. “No trespassing notice should have been given. I would certainly expect better judgment from Richland County moving forward.”
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
