No trace found of missing constable

Federal fugitive sought for questioning in Lincolnville case

LINCOLNVILLE — State constable Robert Lee Bailey spent his nights patrolling the darkened streets of this rural hamlet, but he didn't take home a dime for his efforts.

Bailey, 67, has spent years working in law enforcement, first with Charleston police and then as a Dorchester County sheriff's deputy. Now a retired widower, Bailey donates his time helping this town's sole police officer keep order. He just wants to be of service, friends said.

It was on a late-night patrol that Bailey disappeared Monday after a volley of gunfire crackled along Greenwood Street. His gun and cap were found on the ground, along with a large amount of blood. He is presumed abducted, but authorities are unsure as to why. And as the hours pass, the outcome looks increasingly grim.

"We don't have any real idea what happened," Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon said. "It certainly does not look good. But we are hopeful."

Around 200 law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency workers scoured a 25-mile stretch of countryside between Lincolnville and Harleyville on Tuesday looking for some clue to Bailey's whereabouts. They found none. Authorities called off the effort as darkness fell but plan to resume their search this morning.

A statewide search is underway for a 24-year-old man wanted for questioning in Bailey's disappearance. Walter Fayall is considered a fugitive because he has an outstanding federal warrant on a weapons charge, Cannon said.

Fayall has a criminal record dating to 1999, with convictions for committing car break-ins, possessing stolen vehicles, resisting arrest, driving under the influence, possessing marijuana and unlawfully carrying a weapon, State Law Enforcement Division records show. He is under federal indictment in connection with two pistols seized in Myrtle Beach last year, authorities said.

Cannon would not say how investigators came to focus on Fayall.

Electronic message boards along South Carolina interstates flashed alerts asking motorists to watch for a black late-model Chevy Caprice thought to be linked to Fayall. Police stopped several vehicles Tuesday but didn't find the car, Highway Patrol Cpl. Paul Brouthers said.

The bizarre episode unfolded around 10:30 p.m. Monday night. That's when Sgt. Richie Hill, the town's sole paid police officer, heard the gunshots while sitting in his office. He knew Bailey had been on a traffic stop just down the road on West Smith Street, so Hill radioed the dispatcher to check on him. The constable didn't answer, Charleston County sheriff's Capt. Mike Benton said.

Sheriff's deputies and Summerville police rushed to the area and found a frightening scene on Greenwood Street, a short distance from where Bailey has last reported in. His cap identifying him as a constable, two semi-automatic handguns, bullet casings and a great deal of blood were scattered in the street and in the yard in front of a home, Benton said.

One pistol was identified as Bailey's on-duty weapon, Cannon said. The shell casings appear to have come from two guns, one presumed to be Bailey's, Cannon said.

Neighbors said they heard between three and five shots in succession, followed shortly by two more blasts.

About an hour later, a state trooper found the torched cruiser behind Faith Assembly of God church on Farmington Road in the Sangaree area. Investigators tracked down the driver involved in the initial traffic stop by Bailey on West Smith Street and determined that she had nothing to at all to do with the shooting that occurred, Cannon said.

Searchers combed both areas with the aid of dogs and all-terrain vehicles on Tuesday. Other groups fanned out along Interstate 26 in the Harleyville area, digging through dense woods, ditches, kudzu and tall grass looking for clues to the constable's whereabouts. Cannon would only say that authorities had received information that led them to that location.

Bailey's family members huddled at his Ladson home Tuesday afternoon, but they declined to comment on the search.

Carol Bellamy, a neighbor and friend of Bailey's for 25 years, said Bailey is a widower and a father of three grown children. He is helping raise his two grandsons and has served as a father figure in the neighborhood, looking out for other people's children, she said.

Bailey has been helping to start a crime watch in the neighborhood and gave his time freely to small, undermanned police departments who needed his services, Bellamy said. He volunteered with Lincolnville police for a few years and put in a lot of unpaid hours, she said.

One resident, who asked that his name not be used for fear of retribution, said Bailey has been trying to reduce drug sales in the neighborhood and has been conducting traffic stops along Greenwood in recent weeks.

Constables are appointed to assist law enforcement agencies. They must complete a basic training course at a state technical college before SLED will recommend their approval by the governor. Constables can carry firearms after completing a qualification course. They may intervene in "imminent and urgent circumstances."

"It had become almost like a full-time job for him, but he didn't get paid for what he did," Bellamy said. "He loved police work and he loved to help. He was a very good neighbor and a very good man."

Staff writers Noah Haglund and Nita Birmingham contributed to this report. Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556 or gsmith@postandcourier.com.