An Upstate man who shot himself to end a 12-hour standoff near Holly Hill died Friday.
John Henry Mauldin, 44, of Greenville was taken to the Regional Medical Center late Thursday to be treated for what authorities say was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
He died Friday evening of a laceration to the brain, Orangeburg County Chief Deputy Coroner Sean Fogle said.
According to Deputy U.S. Marshal Amanda Lyons, Mauldin was being sought by Greenville County officials on a probation violation.
The former tow truck company employee was convicted in 1986 on a child molestation charge in Georgia involving a 14-year-old female.
On March 15, Greenville County authorities obtained a warrant for his arrest. They discovered he had been on the run since January when he failed to report for a scheduled meeting with his probation officer.
Mauldin was also accused of failing to meet his lifetime sex offender registration requirement with Greenville County as required in March.
In October, an anonymous tip was sent to the Greenville County Sex Offender Watch tip line informing authorities that Mauldin may be hiding out in the Holly Hill area.
At that point, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office contacted Operation Intercept, the U.S. Marshals-led fugitive task force, for assistance.
Operation Intercept determined Mauldin was staying in a trailer on Pecan Drive and converged on that location along with local and state authorities on Thursday.
Upon arriving in the area, officers verified with neighbors the Greenville man was residing in the area.
When officers reached the inside of the residence, they found Mauldin, who stated, “I have a gun,” Lyons said.
Seeing what looked like a handgun, the officers backed out of the residence.
The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team was called in for additional assistance around 11 a.m.
Tactical officers surrounded the residence, located in a wooded area off Bunch Ford Road. Negotiating teams began trying to convince the Upstate man to surrender.
Meantime, Mauldin’s troubles were getting worse at the very moment he and law enforcement officers faced each other.
According to Greenville County court documents, an Upstate bank filed a debt collection suit against him Thursday.
Around 10 p.m. officers outside the residence heard a single gunshot.
In a statement issued before Mauldin’s death, U.S. Marshal for the District of South Carolina Kelvin Washington said the U.S. Marshals will “work day and night to bring you to justice.”
“The magnitude of this case is an exemplary illustration of how well all law enforcement partners worked together,” Washington said. ..Source.. by T&D Staff Report
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