BLYTHEWOOD – Following a lengthy, contentious executive session Monday night for Blythewood Town Council members to receive legal advice on “Manor operations and incidents,” council immediately voted to release a surveillance video to the public of an incident that occurred in the Manor on Thursday, Sept. 11 involving Mayor Sloan Griffin and a Manor employee.
That video, has been overseen by Interim Town Administrator Ed Driggers since the incident and not shared with council members until Monday.
In that incident, reported in the Sept. 18 issue of The Voice [“Conflicting accounts emerge from Manor Incident”], Michelle Layman, the wife of Manor Director Fred Laymam, gave this 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. Fred Layman, who was on medical leave from his position at the Manor, called 911.
Michelle Laymon ended up with a trespassing notice issued by a Richland County Deputy before being taken away in an ambulance. She said she was admitted to a local hospital for almost three days.
A Richland County Sheriff’s deputy’s incident report stated: “While on scene, …[her] husband called [911] stating that his wife was being held hostage by the mayor, which was found to be untrue.”
However, a source who has seen the video, told The Voice that it shows Mayor Sloan Griffin and a male Manor employee preventng Michelle Layman from leaving leave the building, and that when she moved to another door to get out, the the Manor employee moved to that door to block her exit.
On Monday night, in regard to that incident, Mayor Pro Tem Donald Brock made the following motion:
“Mr. Mayor, I move to release the video effective immediately in regards to the incident that occurred on Sept. 11, 2025, from approximately 3.30 p.m. to 5.30 p. m,” Brock said.
“Will this have a negative impact on any ongoing investigation?” Councilwoman Andrea Fripp asked Town Attorney Pete Balthazar.
“There’s really no way to tell,” Balthazar said. “I don’t know if you’re talking about any law enforcement investigation. Yeah, I don’t know how law enforcement would view that. I know that law enforcement, when it comes to active investigations, is very protective of the pieces of evidence until they get to a point where they’ve figured out everyone’s stories and they’ve figured out all the facts as they have it. But whether the release now or the video is in the hands of a investigator that can review all those statements and facts of what went on that day, I don’t know.
“It’s a public video that took place in a public place with public employees,” said Brock. “It needs to be released immediately. Does it change what happened? Releasing it doesn’t change what’s on the video.”
Fripp asked again if releasing the video would have a negative impact on the ongoing investigation.
“Is there an open and active investigation into this?” Brock asked and then answered his own question. “No. The answer is No. So, there’s no negative impact on the investigation because one doesn’t exist.
“Will it spur one?” he asked, then again answered. “Absolutely. Should it? 1,000 percent”.
Councilman Rich McKenrick added a friendly amendment to the motion.
“I would suggest getting an incident report from each employee that was present during the alleged incident and give it to the county attorney,” McKenrick said.
As part of the motion, Balthazar said he would request that report from those employees.
Both Balthazar and Driggers had allowed the mayor to participate in some of their investigation into Manor operations according to sources who spoke with Balthazar and Driggers, but both advised council members against releasing the video, according to several council members.
As the council members left executive session and returned to open session, tensions were high, with Griffin using curse words as he approached the table to be seated.
However, in a roll call vote, Griffin joined Brock, Fripp and McKenrick who had already voted to pass the motion in a majority vote before Griffin cast his vote. Councilwoman Erica Page voted against the measure.
Following the vote, Driggers quickly gathered his belongings and left the Manor without informing council members when, what time, and where the video would be released.