Fourth woman charges sexual abuse by former SC detective

A fourth woman has come forward claiming she was sexually abused by a former Horry County Police detective and says he helped her obtain illegal narcotics and coerced her to videotape nude catfights.

The victim is identified only as Jane Doe 4 in the lawsuit filed Monday in the Court of Common Pleas. She is represented by the same law firm handling similar sexual abuse cases brought by three other women identified as Jane Does against the police department.

All four cases allege abuse by former Detective Allen Large, who was dismissed by the police department in July 2015 after he was investigated internally on a sexual harassment claim.

In the Jane Doe 4 case, the woman claims Large called her cellphone in the fall of 2014 and said he was aware that she was using drugs and that he was concerned about her.

The lawsuit said Large visited her home on a regular basis, and in October engaged in a non-consensual sexual act.

“Despite his purported concern for (Jane Doe 4’s) drug abuse, Detective Large later provided (her) with money and transportation to obtain narcotics,” the lawsuit said.

“Following the non-consensual sexual act on (Jane Doe 4), Detective Large continued to contact (her) on a daily basis to demand that she engage in nude fetish catfights,” the lawsuit said.

Large contacted the woman daily through January, but ceased communication with her once she entered a narcotics rehabilitation program in the winter of 2015, the lawsuit said.

Large is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit. However, former Horry County Police Chief Saundra Rhodes and Deputy Chief Scott Rutherford are named, as are Large’s other supervising officers, Thomas Delpercio, William Squires and Dale Buchanan.

The lawsuit says those individuals “possessed actual knowledge of Detective Large’s inappropriate actions and/or propensity to harm vulnerable women, including (Jane Doe 4), yet failed to take any action against Detective Large, allowing him to continue to abuse female crime victims and suspects, including (Jane Doe 4), under the guise of the Horry County Police Department.”

Large’s lawyer, Bonnie Hunt, did not return a call for comment. Horry County spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier said it is their policy not to comment on pending litigation.

Several individuals who worked for the police department have been under investigation by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division since November. Rhodes stepped down from the agency in May after Jane Doe 2 filed a lawsuit, and Rutherford retired shortly afterward.

All four Jane Does claim that Large coerced them to participate in nude catfight fetish videos and that they were the victims of unwanted sexual encounters or assaults by Large.

Large admitted during a taped deposition in March that he enjoyed watching the videos, and taped one catfight with Jane Doe 3 and another participant. He denies that he coerced the women to participate in catfights, saying he suggested it as a way for the women to make money. Large also denies any sexual contact with the women.

Large is countersuing Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3, claiming their allegations have ruined his reputation and crippled future job prospects. Those two cases will be heard in federal court.

This story was originally published August 16, 2016 at 7:18 AM with the headline "Fourth woman charges sexual abuse by former SC detective."