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'I'm glad it was me and instead of them': School teacher assaulted at Lexington County church

One of the teachers, Glenda Snelgrove, walked inside and said she was attacked by Drayton. She considers herself blessed that she was the one hurt rather than the other teachers and students at the school.

RED BANK, S.C. — A teacher who says she was assaulted by someone robbing a Red Bank church feels blessed that she was the only one hurt and not her students or fellow teachers.

Street Squad Lexington is following the stories that matter in your community. People in the town of Red Bank are all talking about an incident where law enforcement says someone broke into a church and assaulted a woman.

On Monday morning, the Lexington County Sheriff’s department says 20-year-old, James Douglas Drayton, broke into Red Bank United Methodist Church. Teachers were coming into the building for a pre-K program held during the week.

Capt. Adam Myrick with the sheriff’s department says Drayton was able to break into the church by throwing rocks through a window.

“He took some sort of rock and threw it through one of the sliding glass doors there,” Myrick said. “At that point in trying to get away, he grabbed something from the employee and then hit the employee in the face.”

One of the teachers, Glenda Snelgrove, walked inside and said she was attacked by Drayton. She considers herself blessed that she was the one hurt rather than the other teachers and students at the school.

“I was just afraid that they would have got hurt," Snelgrove said. "I’m glad it was me and instead of them and that he didn’t get a chance to go because the kids were already in the building.”

Snelgrove, who just had foot surgery over the Christmas break, said she had her boot in her hand, which the suspect ripped from her using it to hit her in the face.

“I felt like somebody was all over me. He grabbed the boot and it was just like a blur. He started hitting with me and it was made out of a hard plastic,” explained Snelgrove. “I didn’t have time to be scared. I was mad and I thought about my cousin. That something like this could have happened to her. I’m like, ‘If this is going to be something that’s going on, buddy we going.’”

While she was able to fight him off, deputies say he was able to escape. He was found a short time later through another call and identified from a previous arrest, according to Myrick.

An incident report says Drayton had keys to the church and his footprint matched the ones on the scene. Myrick says they’re working with the church to help improve security there.

“Certainly on the technology and equipment front, we could help them with that. It’s a service we offer for free to our community just as a way to be a resource to them to hopefully cutdown situation like this and cutdown on their own losses through burglaries and break-ins,” explained Myrick.

Drayton is being charged with first degree assault and second-degree burglary.

Snelgrove says she’s glad none of the other teachers or students were hurt and she’s ready to move forward.

“That’s what I told the lady on 9-1-1. I said, ‘There’s kids in this building and there’s more coming.’ It’s really sad that people get to that. They need Jesus. That’s all there is to it.”

Snelgrove says the church just approved cameras for security last Monday.

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