Man charged after deputies respond to Ravenel domestic violence call

RAVENEL, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County deputies arrested a man early Tuesday after a domestic violence call led to a SWAT team response.

Carl Lee Welch, 52, is charged with first-degree domestic violence.

Deputies responded at about 1:20 a.m. to a home in the 5800 block of Highway 165, where a woman told them a former boyfriend had grabbed her neck and shoved her, sheriff’s office spokesman Andrew Knapp said. The victim also told deputies the man had threatened to kill her, law enforcement and himself.

The woman was not seriously injured and declined transportation to a hospital.

The sheriff’s office’s SWAT team and crisis negotiators responded because deputies believed the man was still inside the home and armed with a firearm, Knapp said. Deputies made several attempts to contact the man without success.

About 7 a.m., the SWAT team entered the home and searched the property. A firearm was recovered, but the man was not found. It was determined that he had likely left before the arrival of initial units.

A short time later, deputies learned the man was in nearby woods and a helicopter responded to participate in the search, but the man soon walked out of the woods and surrendered peacefully to deputies, Knapp said.

The emergency response required deputies to shut down a part of Highway 165 for about two hours.

A booking photo of Welch was not immediately available from the sheriff’s office.

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