Anthony Spivey was arrested early Thursday after running out of a relative’s apartment in South Carolina, where he had apparently been hiding since Sunday.
The disgraced former Chadbourn Police Chief was arrested last year on charges of stealing drugs, firearms and money from the CPD evidence room. Later he was charged with obtaining property by false pretenses after money he raised for a pediatric cancer patient disappeared. In December, while out on $500,000 bond, he allegedly stole two catalytic converters from a Tabor City garage where he was working.
Spivey was already facing more than 70 felony charges and was due for a hearing when he failed to appear in court Monday.
Spivey, 35, apparently faked his own suicide Sunday at a hunting club near Fair Bluff, according to the sheriff’s office.
Dean Sasser said he and Eve Spivey, the suspect’s wife, made contact with a Wildlife officer while searching for Spivey Monday morning. They found the truck Spivey was driving at Sandhills Hunting Club on the Lumber River, and Spivey’s boat lodged under a tree downstream. Sasser said a suicide note was in the truck. A .22 rifle with a discharged round was found in the boat.
Family and friends described the incident as a possible suicide, according to a press release from the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office.
Dive crews, tracking dogs, a helicopter and other resources from multiple agencies were dispatched to the area.
Investigators quickly concluded that the evidence collected did not support a suicide, Sheriff Jody Greene said. As the search was going on, investigators were conducting interviews and reviewing surveillance footage.
“It became even more apparent that the scene on the river was staged,” Greene said in the press release.
Spivey’s court appearance was continued to Wednesday, at which point orders for arrest were filed, and Spivey was listed as “missing and wanted.”
A tip[ led investigators to an apartment complex on Watson Heritage Road in Loris. Horry county Police and detectives joined forces with CCSO personnel and raided the apartment just after midnight. Spivey ran but was caught in a wooded area, Greene said.
“I would like to thank the citizens who assisted in this case, as well as the Horry County Police Officers and Detectives,” Greene said in the press release. “I would also like to thank all the other agencies that assisted with the search in and around the river.
“We want the citizens to know that no matter the situation, we must respond accordingly. In this case, a person was reported missing. It is our duty to do all we can to preserve life and locate the missing person.”
Greene noted that the sheriff’s office made use of equipment obtained through a government surplus program that aided in the search mission.
“ We are thankful that we have the resources now to do so.”
Additional arrests and charges are possible in the near future, Greene said.
“Spivey was found alive and well. We consider that a job well done.”
