By Betsy Finklea
A Dillon man has been charged with murder in an incident that occurred on Tuesday, November 27th.
Craig Alexander Bellmon, age 27, 320 Beaufort Street, Dillon, has been charged in the death of James Gregory McLellan, age 39, 406 East Dargan Street, Dillon.
According to a report by First Sergeant Ryan Berry and Cpl. Sara Jean Maciel of the City of Dillon Police Department, police were dispatched to 320 Beaufort Street in reference to someone being hit with a bat. The suspect was at the front door with a baseball bat when police arrived. His shirt was torn and was hanging.
When police entered the residence, they saw the victim on his knees with his head leaning against a table. The victim was bleeding from his head and was unresponsive. The responding officer could not find a pulse. EMS arrived and took the victim to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The suspect told police that he heard a knock at the door and saw a woman standing there. The suspect walked away and told the homeowner who she was.
The suspect’s girlfriend opened to door to let the woman inside because she had clothes there that she wanted to pick up, the report states. The victim came with the woman inside the residence. The woman and the victim got into an argument. The suspect told them to leave, and the victim came up on him, grabbed him, and they started fighting, the report said.
The suspect picked up a baseball bat and hit the victim several times on the arms and on the top of the head area. The victim fell to his knees, but the suspect kept hitting him because he was trying to get up. The suspect told police that when he hit the victim across the head the last time that blood spattered on his legs. He then called 9-1-1, the report said
The suspect had scratches on his arm, shoulder, and upper back.
Investigator James Hayes was called to the scene.
Officers on the scene were First Sergeant Berry, Cpl. Maciel, Investigator Hayes, L/Cpl. R. Cook, and PFC J. Kasson. EMS workers on the scene were Daniel Moody, Dylan Brown, Kim Daniels, and Ryan Price, according to the report.
House of Thomas is handling the funeral arrangements for McLellan. The funeral will be held December 1 at 2:30 p.m. at Manning Baptist Church in Dillon with burial following in Resthaven Cemetery in Floyd Dale. The family is receiving friends at 406 E. Dargan Street, Dillon.
