Who is the South Carolina woman accused of cross-burning and naked jumping jacks?

We’ve all lived next to troublesome people and suffered from their hijinks, whether it’s their noisy parties, or unkempt front lawns. Far fewer of us have had cross-burning and naked jumping jack-level bad neighbors. But in a neighborhood of Conway, South Carolina, however, that’s what some residents have been faced with.

According to WPDE.com, Worden Butler and Alexis Hartnett have been terrible neighbors since at least 2021. Court documents show Butler and Hartnett have threatened and harassed those who lived next to them, and in Nov. 2023, they’re accused of burning a cross in their yard to intimidate Black people nearby.

What’s more, Butler shared the pictures of the burning cross on social media. One was captioned, “I’m working on summoning a devil’s army, and I don’t care if they and I both go down in the same boat … I’m about to make them pay.” The dispute between Butler and Hartnett and their Black neighbors reportedly started over a fencing project.

Alexis Hartnett was also arrested for indecent exposure

As of March 2024, Worden Butler and Alexis Hartnett were expected in court to face charges stemming from the cross-burning incident. Before they could appear, however, Hartnett was arrested for indecent exposure — or doing jumping jacks without a shirt on while screaming — in the front yard of the home. She was ordered into home detention until she could appear in court over the cross-burning charges at a rescheduled hearing.

Before the nude jumping jacks incident, examples of Hartnett’s harassing behavior toward neighbors included screaming, walking around in the front yard naked, and threatening life and property, according to WBTV.com. Butler faces similar accusations. Butler and Hartnett rent the home from Butler’s mother, who owns the property. WMBF News says authorities are trying to kick Butler and Hartnett out of the house through a temporary injunction.