Third woman arrested in mob assault involving SC Republican Party leader at Conway bar
A third woman has been arrested for a mob assault at a Conway bar that involved the political director of the South Carolina Republican Party and her mother.
The three woman allegedly hit multiple times a person who had been drinking at Stalvey’s Watering Hole, located at 1609 4th Ave. in Conway, in December, according to a police report.
Katie Richelle Turvey, 26, of Conway, was arrested Jan. 4 by Conway Police and charged with assault and battery by a mob, petit larceny and malicious injury to personal property.
Braylee Estep, 22, who is the political director for the South Carolina Republican Party and lives in Columbia, and Michele Stalvey Estep, 53, of Conway, were charged with third-degree assault and battery by a mob on Jan. 3 and Jan. 2 respectively.
Turvey is accused of not only hitting the victim, but also stealing the victim’s steel Stanley Cup from the vehicle and using it repeatedly to hit her vehicle, the report said.
Since Braylee Estep’s arrest, officials from the state Republican Party have not released any information about Estep’s status as an employee or leadership role, nor has anyone returned several messages that were left seeking comment.
The bar, which is attached to the family-owned Stalvey’s Bait and Tackle, appears to be operated by Michele Estep. She is listed in business filings as the registered agent of the bar.
Michele Estep, who was bartending at the bar Friday evening, declined to comment and asked that the reporter “leave her establishment” and never come back.
She directed comments to her attorney, Natasha Hanna of Conway, who also declined Friday to comment on the incident.
The bar does have a previous violation, according to the South Carolina Department of Revenue. Stalvey’s Watering Hole was cited in 2018 for having video poker machines on its premises, which resulted in a $2,000 fine and a 30-day suspension of its beer and wine permit.
Estep only in political leadership role for several months
Braylee Estep listed on her LinkedIn profile that she started her position at the SCGOP in August.
The Republican Party’s website has her listed as its political director. Her bio states she started as an intern in 2018 with the state GOP’s Victory Program in Myrtle Beach. Since then she has worked on multiple campaigns statewide.
Reese Boyd with the Horry County GOP said Friday that he knew Braylee Estep “well,” but declined to comment because he didn’t know the facts of the case.
Boyd said there are no paid positions with the local GOP and said that a statement about the situation should come from the state party.
“I hate to see this happening to anybody,” Boyd said. “We’re praying for the families involved and hopefully things get sorted out.”
What happened that night
Police responded about 11 p.m. Dec. 23 to a report of vandalism, according to a report. When officers arrived, the victim and a witness told police that while drinking at the bar Turvey’s boyfriend began to make them feel uncomfortable by hanging his arms over their shoulders. Turvey allegedly began to shake her head and call the victim and witness vulgar names. The victim and witness then decided to leave and the “bickering” continued between the two parties in the parking lot.
Michele Estep allegedly heard the victim say something negative about her daughter, the report said. Braylee Estep then came to the vehicle and began to bang on the window. The victim and witness were inside the vehicle at the time.
Michele Estep and Turvey came out of the bar after hearing the commotion and also came to the vehicle, the report said. At some point the door of the vehicle was opened by one of the women, the report said.
At that time, all three women began to hit the unnamed victim several times with their hands, causing injury. Turvey then allegedly grabbed the Stanley cup from the vehicle’s cup holder and began to bang it on the vehicle, placing dents into it, the report said.
The victims were able to put the vehicle in reverse and leave, and then call police.
Police asked for video of the incident but were told that there was no video, although the incident happened right outside the door, the report said.
There appears to be a camera potentially attached to the eaves of the roof just outside the bar.
The report said all of those involved, except for the witness, were “highly” intoxicated.
