A man from South Carolina, accused of driving under the influence and stealing a patrol car, made headlines during a heated exchange at his bond hearing, where he declared his intention to escalate his case to then-President Donald Trump.
William Waters, reportedly experiencing a mental health crisis, allegedly took the patrol vehicle from a QuikTrip gas station in Spartanburg County on a Saturday night. The 34-year-old found himself in court on Monday, charged with grand larceny, failure to stop for blue lights, and driving while intoxicated.
During the court proceedings, Waters frequently interrupted as the judge listed the charges against him. He accused the judge of dishonesty and declined to sign any legal documents required for the case, according to a report by WHNS.
“Y’all feed me this garbage, feed lies and put this c**p on TV,” Waters exclaimed in frustration to the judge.
Despite his outbursts, the judge remained composed and proceeded to set Waters’ bond at $20,922.
The judge ignored his remarks and set his bond at $20,922.
‘I don’t have no bond,’ Waters spat back, before reiterating that he was ‘not signing any of the warrants.’ The judge, dismissing him again, replied: ‘I understand that.’
‘I’ll contact Donald Trump if I have to,’ Waters responded, before being escorted out of the courtroom.
Water appeared before a judge on Monday, facing charges of grand larceny, failure to stop for blue lights and driving while under the influence. During his bond hearing, Waters interrupted the judge, accused him of lying and refused to comply with orders
William Waters, 34, allegedly stole the patrol car from the QuikTrip gas station in Spartanburg County on Saturday night while suffering from an apparent mental health crisis
Waters led sheriff’s deputies on a chase through three counties before he surrendered himself to police and was arrested.
He was taken to a nearby hospital for an evaluation and later booked into the county jail, WBTV reported.
At least two deputies were injured during the incident, according to police.
One was struck by the open driver’s door and dragged along the road when Waters first commandeered the patrol car. The officer was not seriously hurt.
Another was airlifted to a hospital after a deputy’s vehicle crashed during the multi-county chase. The officer is expected to make a full recovery.
Waters first appeared in court on Sunday, but repeatedly interrupted the judge and was escorted out of the courtroom before his bond could be set.
A second judge informed Waters that he faced charges in two courts on Monday, but the suspect dismissed the charges as ‘lies.’
‘That’s a lie. I took a drug test. I did a blood test and it came back negative,’ he said of the DUI as she spoke over the judge, video of the hearing showed.
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Waters first appeared in court on Sunday, (pictured) but repeatedly interrupted the judge and was escorted out of the courtroom before his bond could be set
During his second court appearance on Monday, Waters vowed to contact President Donald Trump about his case before he was escorted out of the courtroom (pictured)
The judge informed him that he could be sentenced up to 30 days for the DUI charge and asked him to sign a form, but Waters refused, saying: ‘I’m not doing that.’
The judge said ‘ok’ and began to scribble on the document as Waters continued with his rant.
‘Also, the traffic, failure to stop for a blue light no injury or death, first offence, I’m not signing that,’ he said.
The judge paid no mind to his responses and requested that Waters provide a phone number for his mother, who was seated in the courtroom. Waters refused.
He then declared ‘I’m not going to court’ as the judge informed him of the repercussions he would face if he missed his scheduled hearing next month.
‘I understand that,’ the judge replied, seemingly dismissing Waters’ remark. ‘Your court appearance will be held January 22, 2026 at two o’clock.’
Waters, however, interrupted once again, accused the judge of spreading lies about him, and vowed to contact the president about his case.
It is unlikely that Waters’ low-level case would make it to Trump’s desk, but the Daily Mail has approached the White House for comment.
His mother Cathy (pictured) said Waters suffers from mental health issues, including diagnosed schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
Waters suffers from mental health issues, including diagnosed schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, his mother Cathy told WHNS.
She said he has been hospitalized eight times in the past year and has stopped taking his prescribed medications.
Cathy has tried to get help for her son, but he has apparently refused. She wanted to inform the judge of his condition but claimed she was not permitted to speak during the bond hearing.
‘Yes, he did wrong because he’s in a full blown mental episode but he needs help. He needs help and he needs medication,’ she pleaded.
Cathy added that she hopes that her son’s will raise awareness about mental health conditions and evoke change so that people with certain conditions are ‘not made to go before a judge with nobody there with them’.
The Daily Mail has also approached the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
