Pickens County Sheriff's Office (SC)

08/26/2026

🚨MEDIA RELEASE: Suspect Arrested Following Assault and Barricade Incident in Liberty🚨

On August 25, 2026, at approximately 11:09 p.m., the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a 911 call regarding an assault that had just occurred in the area of Hovey Lane in Liberty. The caller identified himself as the victim of the assault.

While responding to the scene, deputies observed a vehicle matching the description of the vehicle driven by the suspected assailant. Deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver failed to stop and was able to evade law enforcement. Upon arriving in the area, deputies located the victim, who reported that a neighbor had assaulted him without provocation while he was outside walking with his small child in a stroller.

Deputies were able to identify the suspect as Jonathan Tyler Johnson (DOB: 06/14/1987). At approximately 3:40 a.m. on August 26, 2026, deputies went to Johnson’s residence on Hovey Lane to make contact with him.
While deputies were on scene, Johnson brandished a weapon and barricaded himself inside the residence. Deputies established a perimeter around the residence, and the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team responded. After numerous attempts to communicate with Johnson and persuade him to surrender peacefully, the PCSO SWAT Team deployed less-lethal munitions into the residence. Johnson was subsequently taken into custody without further incident.

Johnson has been charged with Assault and Battery, 3rd Degree. He is currently being held at the Pickens County Detention Center while additional charges remain pending. He will appear before a magistrate for a bond hearing. The investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges may be filed as appropriate.



**All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.**

08/26/2026

🚨Please see below for an important update from your sheriff regarding an incident in Liberty this morning🚨

08/26/2026

Now that school is in full swing it's a good time to brush up on school bus laws🚌 Remember: passing a stopped school bus on any two lane road, regardless of the direction of travel is illegal!🚨 When encountering a bus on any multi-lane road, only traffic behind the bus is required to stop. Oncoming traffic may proceed with caution.⚠️

Violating our school bus laws in SC can cost you up to $1,000 in fines and 6 points on your license. For more information on school bus safety please visit the SC Department of Public Safety website at https://scdps.sc.gov/schoolbus

Let's all do our part to keep our children, bus drivers, and other motorists safe!

The beginning of the school year is a time when children are at an increased risk of transportation-related injuries from pedestrian, bicycle, school bus, and motor vehicle crashes. This is because there is more traffic on the roads each morning and afternoon, and the increased traffic causes many ...

08/24/2026

The Pickens County Sheriff's Office will be partnering with the SC Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) this evening for the annual Hands Across the Border campaign. What is Hands Across the Border??

Hands Across the Border brings together law enforcement in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia to conduct joint public safety checkpoints aimed at keeping drunk and drugged drivers off the roads. These checkpoints are part of the national "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign.

Checkpoints will be conducted THIS EVENING beginning at 8:00pm at the following locations:

SC 11 @ SC 8
SC 11 @ SC 178
SC11 @ SC 133

08/21/2026

Don't forget the Upstate SC Law Enforcement Memorial Softball Tournament is this weekend at Century Park in Greer!🏟️ Below is the bracket so you can plan accordingly to come out and enjoy the action! Here's to wishing our PCSO Sheepdogs the best of luck! Be safe and have fun guys and gals!⚾️⚾️

08/20/2026

Please join us in congratulating Deputy Dalton Cochran on receiving Deputy of the Month for July! Deputy Cochran spends the majority of his year as the SRO at Ambler Elementary where he is loved by the kids, staff, and parents alike. Over the summer, Deputy Cochran assisted our Animal Enforcement Unit with much needed help. No matter what is asked of him, Deputy Cochran does it with a smile on his face and gives 110%. Thank you Deputy Cochran for your dedication to our community and the overall mission of PCSO!

PCSO would like to thank Farm Bureau Insurance for their generous and loyal support of our Deputy of the Month program. A special thanks to Agent Dan Cochran for sponsoring this month!

08/19/2026

Looking for something to do this Saturday?? Come out and support our PCSO Sheepdogs in the annual Upstate SC Law Enforcement Memorial Softball Tournament. For 15 years this event has given financial assistance to families that have lost their loved ones in the line of duty. It's fun, fellowship, and a little competition all for a good cause! Hope to see you there!

08/18/2026

It's that time of year again!! Many of you have been faithful supporters of our magnet calendars since Sheriff Blankenship took office. The funds raised during this campaign assist us with all of our community engagement activities and items we give away to children at local events. Since PCSO does not have a budget for community engagement, we rely on the generous donations of our community to help us in living out our motto "Called to Serve."

If you receive contact from Law Enforcement Partners, this is NOT a scam. Law Enforcement Partners represents our agency in acquiring sponsors for our calendar. Thank you in advance for your continued support!

08/17/2026

Please join us in congratulating Deputy Angel Dimovski in his successful graduation from the SC Criminal Justice Academy as a Class II officer! Deputy Dimovski serves in our Judicial Services Division as a Detention Deputy. Well done sir!

08/14/2026

Please join us in congratulating Deputy Kavon Addison-Brown on his recent PROMOTION to SERGEANT! Deputy Addison-Brown serves in our Judicial Services Division as a detention deputy. He has proven his leadership ability and we are excited to see him continue his journey to impacting others!