Judge denies appeal in Atlantic Beach special election

ATLANTIC BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — A judge has denied an appeal by the runner-up of a special election in Atlantic Beach who argued that the winner failed to meet residency requirements needed to run for town council, according to documents.

In an order filed Friday, the judge ruled that the Town of Atlantic Beach Municipal Election Commission correctly denied Michael Isom’s appeal in February based on the evidence presented at a protest hearing.

The judge did not find “any error of law to warrant a reversal of the election,” according to documents.

Isom claimed that winner John David didn’t have a South Carolina driver’s license or license plate at the time he registered to be a candidate in the special election.

At a prior hearing, David showed his driver’s license and voter registration card to the Municipal Election Commission, according to documents.

David’s South Carolina license plate was issued Feb. 1. County tax records also show David paid his vehicle property tax on Feb. 1. David said he received his driver’s license in November.

The special election was held to fill the seat of the late James DeWitt, who was allegedly killed by his son in Richland County. The son, Matthew Allen DeWitt, is also a suspect in the deaths of two other people, including a woman in the Conway area.