Following the assault and kidnapping of a Clemson student on Tuesday morning, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office has detained 57-year-old Darrell Scott Brooks, a registered sex offender in Oconee County.
After entering her vehicle, Brooks demanded that the student pull into the parking lot of Fants Grove Baptist Church in Anderson. He then pinned her down and assaulted her with “a folding razor blade knife,” according to a press release from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office.
According to deputies, Brooks had approached a female student at an off-campus apartment complex. He asked the student to drive him to work, telling her that his car had broken down and that he was a Clemson University employee.
A “good Samaritan” driving nearby heard the student call for help and came to her aid, helping her escape from Brooks, the press release stated. Brooks took possession of the vehicle and fled into Seneca.
Brooks was detained on Thursday at about 3:17 p.m. in the Oconee County Detention Center on a $28,267.50 combined surety bond and has a hold placed on him by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office until further notice.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office was alerted of the stolen vehicle, a white Audi Q5, in the Westminster area. During a routine patrol, a Uniform Patrol Bureau deputy spotted the vehicle near Mar Val Drive on Longcreek Highway.
“The driver of the Audi, later identified as Brooks, drove recklessly by passing on double yellow lines and by speeding,” according to the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy commenced a traffic stop, but Brooks did not comply and instead “accelerated his vehicle away” from the patrol vehicle.
The pursuit halted when Brooks crashed the car into an embankment off Raines Road on Longcreek Highway. Brooks attempted to run away, but the deputy quickly caught him and transported him to the hospital for evaluation.
“Deputies were able to confirm that Brooks was driving with a suspended license,” according to OCSO, after finding Brooks’ wallet inside the stolen Audi.
After administering an accident investigation, the South Carolina Highway Patrol towed the Audi from the scene, and deputies contacted the Audi’s registered owner.
Both the Oconee County and Anderson County Sheriff’s Offices have made charges against Brooks, including kidnapping, grand larceny, assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct, failure to stop for a blue light, resisting arrest and receiving stolen goods. He is also being cited for reckless driving, first offense of driving under suspension and simple possession of marijuana.
Brooks is also charged with violation of probation warrant because he “was just released from a heavy sentencing in the spring,” according to ACSO. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is continuing the investigation with the help of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.
