HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A former North Carolina police chief who was thought to have drowned has been arrested.
Former Chadbourn Police Chief William Spivey, 36, was reported missing Monday after he failed to return from a fishing trip on the Lumber River near Fair Bluff, according to previous reporting.
Investigators said they found Spivey’s boat abandoned in the river. They also found the vehicle he had been driving at the boat landing. Crews looked for him for about six hours Monday in a remote area northwest of Fair Bluff, according to police.
Spivey was charged with dozens of embezzling and drug charges and was set to appear for a court hearing Monday, according to police, but never showed up.
Dean Sasser, a friend of Spivey’s, said Spivey had left a note behind saying his “goodbyes.”
He was arrested in Horry County, South Carolina, after the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office learned he was hiding at his aunt’s home.
Spivey took off running when deputies tried to arrest him Wednesday night. He was located submerged in a creek behind an apartment building, according to incident reports obtained by WBTW.
Officers demanded Spivey come onto dry land and he told them they would have to shoot while he reached for his waist area, according to the report.
Officers were able to take him into custody and placed him in restraints a short time later.
He was being held at J. Reuben Long Detention Center.