‘I will kill you!’: Accused Fort Mill Peach Stand killer assaults jailer, police say

The accused killer of a beloved teen clerk at Fort Mill’s Peach Stand faces a new charge after he assaulted and threatened to kill a female jail officer, police said.

Christopher Benjamin Mendez, 29, an inmate at the York County, South Carolina jail, grabbed the woman’s arms through a slot in his jail cell and told her, “I will kill you!” according to a York County Sheriff’s Office report.

The incident happened during lunch service Tuesday, and was captured on jail surveillance video, police said.

The female officer was hurt and required treatment at an emergency room, police said.

She had “visible injuries to her arms,” police said.

Mendez was charged with assault and battery against the officer, said Trent Faris, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

It remains unclear if other charges will be pending.

Mendez is accused of murder and could face the death penalty in the Jan. 23 shooting death of Karson Whitesell.

Whitesell, 19, was working at the Peach Stand in Fort Mill when Mendez walked in and shot her several times, police and prosecutors say.

Mendez was arrested at the scene and has since been jailed without bond, awaiting trial.

His lawyer has filed court documents claiming Mendez may have been mentally incompetent at the time of the January shooting, but no court ruling has been made on Mendez’ mental state. Mendez was tested by doctors this summer, court documents show.

In Tuesday’s incident, the officer was handing a tray with food and milk to Mendez through a slot in his cell, reports state.

Mendez dropped the tray, grabbed the officer and pulled her arm through the slot, the incident report states. The officer “struggled” to get her arm out of the slot covered by a flap, then freed her arm before Mendez grabbed both of her arms through the slot, the report states.

The officer was able to free herself from Mendez’s grip with the help of a male officer, police said.

The killing of Karson Whitesell, a missionary and church activist, shocked the people of York County. Police said there was no connection between Mendez, of Lancaster, and Whitesell.

Mendez is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in Whitesell’s death. No trial date has been set for the murder or the new charge.

Attempts to reach Mendez’ lawyer, Phil Smith of the 16th Circuit Public Defender Office, were unsuccessful Thursday.

Prosecutors at the 16th Circuit Solicitor’s office declined to comment.

This story was originally published September 27, 2018 at 4:16 PM.