Copyright Live 5 News WCSC
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Just a week after his wife, a man pleaded guilty to charges relating to squatting in a West Ashley home. Christopher “Nate” Marcum, along with his wife, Evelyn Pollard, and Daniel Byrd, was charged with breaking and entering into a home on Dogwood Road, along with destroying the personal property of the family who lived there. Affidavits stated that the trio removed the homeowner’s belongings and incinerated them in the backyard, attempting to conceal evidence that the owner still lived there. That personal property included couches, bedroom furniture, and living room furniture. A day after their arrest, charred remains could be seen in the backyard surrounded by what appeared to be tiki torches. Prior to the January charges, Marcum and Pollard were the subject of months of Live 5 Investigates stories in which multiple West Ashley homeowners alleged that they had been squatting in their homes. Marcum’s plea hearing took place on Wednesday in front of Judge R. Kirk Griffin. Marcum’s sentencing terms are similar to his wife’s from a week earlier. The terms of Marcum’s deal are as follows: 7 years of prison suspended to 5 years of probation Substance abuse and mental health counseling $3419.50 restitution to the Charleston County Housing and Redevelopment Authority for damages to the Dogwood Rd home If restitution is paid in full within 3 years, probation will be terminated at the 3-year mark Pollard’s plea deal suspended five years of prison time to 27 months of probation, the first nine of which are being spent in a residential treatment facility. She was also referred to substance abuse counseling. Beyond the squatting-related charges, today’s plea deal resolved Marcum’s 2023 methamphetamine charge. Marcum’s public defender, Martha Runey, said that he has a West Ashley trailer that he plans to live in after release. The last defendant in the case, Byrd, is set to plead on Oct. 31. Assistant Solicitor Jewell Gearding, who prosecuted Pollard, indicated during her hearing that Byrd is expected to receive probation.
