Crime & Safety

UPDATE: John Ludwig Released From Jail

The Greenville man who avoided prison time after crashing his car into a home and killing the man inside was arrested again Thursday night. John Ludwig, 39, who was charged with criminal domestic violence second offense, received a $15,000 bond.

UPDATE: For more information on Ludwig's arrest, view Patch's video coverage.

 

John Ludwig appeared before Judge Matt Hawley this morning in Greenville and received a $15,000 personal recognizance bond on charges of criminal domestic violence second offense. Ludwig was released from jail at roughly 1 p.m. Friday.

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Ludwig, 39, was arrested at his home on Parkins Mill Road on Thursday night, after allegedly striking his wife with an open hand.

At the courthouse on Friday morning, the victim, 28-year-old Shannon Ludwig, with whom the suspect has a one-year-old child, called the arrest and subsequent media coverage "ridiculous."

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She and her husband's attorney contend the matter was simply a misunderstanding, and that she was never in fear for her safety during the incident.

Kim Varner, Ludwig's attorney, said he believes Shannon will file an affidavit to not prosecute her husband, but that decision ultimately lies with the solicitor's office. According to other reports, 13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins has referred the case to the South Carolina Attorney General's office.

A warrant was served on Ludwig on Thursday night and he was placed in the Greenville County Detention Center on no bond, until his appearance before a city judge at 10 a.m.

Greenville Police said they were called to Embassy Suites around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, after receiving a phone call from the victim's father.

According to the incident report, Ludwig, had been out with a friend to look at a piece of land and when he returned he appeared to have been drinking.

In the report, the victim said that Ludwig had asked her to write a check for their mortgage. She told him that she would. The victim told police she then went up stairs to get ready to take a shower and the suspect came into the bathroom with her and was talking to his father on the phone.

The victim told police while she was running her bath water, Ludwig turned the water off. She turned the water back on and he slapped her in the back of the head, the report said.

At that time the victim said the suspect went downstairs and she believed he had left the home. She went downstairs to fix a bottle for their baby and he was in the kitchen. He then became verbally abusive, the report said. 

According to the report, the victim called her father, who in turn called the police. The victim left the home with her child and when police met her to talk about the incident at Embassy Suites, she told officers she didn't want Ludwig to go to jail, that he had "touched" her to get her attention.

The victim told police she did want to make a report so that she could use it to file for divorce, but she never wanted him to be arrested.

This is not Ludwig's first arrest. In 2009, the former Furman University football player was given probation after he pleaded guilty to reckless homicide after driving his car through a home, killing the homeowner Bill Bardsley.

In February of 2010, Ludwig was convicted of criminal domestic violence, after spitting on his ex-wife and then also hitting her.

Later that year, Ludwig was charged with assault and battery for an incident at a Greenville bar.

Ludwig also faces a federal lawsuit alleging he's hiding $2 million from a creditor he owes nearly $7 million.

The Greenville News is reporting that Ludwig's arrest could land him back in jail for probation violation. Varner said Friday that a final decision on whether or not he'll have to serve a five-year sentence manslaughter due to probation violation would likely depend on the final disposition of the current domestic violence case. 


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