LANCASTER, S.C. — One person has been arrested after a deadly stabbing in Lancaster. Charles Tidwell, Jr., 45, was arrested Thursday morning, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office.
At 11:56 p.m. Wednesday, deputies with the sheriff's office went to a home on Old Landsford Road and found 24-year-old Stephen Lucas Amerson on the floor with stab wounds. Amerson was treated at the scene and then taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Officials said several people had been in the house at the time of the stabbing, and when investigators began interviewing them, they quickly developed Tidwell as a suspect. The two had "prior difficulties," according to the sheriff's office, and witnesses told authorities that Tidwell entered the home uninvited and stabbed Amerson, then ran away.
A resident of a house on 4th Street allowed investigators to search their house for Tidwell, as he had been temporarily staying there. While investigators didn't find him at the house, they did see evidence believed to be associated with the crime.
Investigators obtained search warrants for the 4th Street property and the Old Landsford Road scene, and investigators began collecting evidence.
Officials searched overnight, and Tidwell was eventually seen near Cross Street on Thursday morning. He was taken into custody after a brief foot chase, according to the sheriff's office.
He was taken to the Lancaster County Detention Center and has warrants charging him with murder, first-degree burglary, and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a violent crime.
“Our condolences are extended to the family and friends of Mr. Amerson,” Sheriff Barry Faile said in a release. “A simmering dispute apparently led to this violent confrontation and the senseless death of Mr. Amerson. Our deputies and investigators and the K-9 unit quickly covered the area and observed and collected evidence which will be vital to the prosecution of this case. I want to thank Chief Don Roper and his officers for helping us keep the heat on Tidwell, which resulted in his arrest mere hours after his offenses.”
Amerson's autopsy is scheduled for Friday. The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office and the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office are investigating the incident, and anyone with information about the case can call the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office at 803-283-3388 and select Option 4.
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