Lancaster, SC — A South Carolina Black woman, Anaysheon Coffey, has been awarded a $120,000 settlement after a white police officer with a documented history of racial profiling forced his way into her home without a warrant in August 2020 and arrested her on fabricated charges.
The officer, Peter Beck, had only been with the Lancaster Police Department for four months when the incident occurred — and just a month after resigning from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, which had warned he was a liability.
The Illegal Arrest
According to the civil lawsuit and public statements from Coffey’s attorney Tyler Bailey, Beck came to Coffey’s door on August 25, 2020, demanding to speak with the father of her child. When she refused to let him enter without a warrant — as is her constitutional right — Beck barged into her home, searched the premises, and wrongfully arrested her.
She was taken to jail and spent the next two years fighting criminal charges that were eventually dismissed in January 2022. Coffey only learned about the dismissal months later, in April 2022, after conducting her own investigation — a delay her attorney argues was meant to delay her civil claim.
“This resolution sends a powerful message that racial profiling and harassment won’t be tolerated,” said Bailey, though many say the facts of the case point to the opposite.
A Pattern of Racial Profiling
Coffey’s experience was not an isolated one. At least 20 Lancaster residents, many of them Black, appeared at a February 2021 City Council meeting to speak out against Beck’s behavior.
Local leaders, including Reverend Anthony Pelham, blasted the council’s decision to pay Beck $60,000 to resign in April 2021 instead of firing him.
“Black lives don’t matter in the Red Rose City,” Pelham said. “You used $60,000 of my taxpayer dollars to pay off an officer that has impacted individuals that look like me.”
Community member Arlene Clyburn added that Beck harassed her family, pulling Black drivers out of cars and handcuffing them without cause.
“What’s the point in pulling them out if you just let them go?” she asked.
Still Policing — Now in North Charleston
Despite his record, Beck now works for the North Charleston Police Department, which itself has a history of racial profiling, including a recent case where officers were caught piling on top of a Black child for selling flowers.
Notably, Beck’s law enforcement certification has never been revoked, allowing him to continue policing — and earning more than he made previously.
“Zero Throttle Control” — And Still Hired Anyway
Before being hired by Lancaster PD in April 2020, Beck was forced to resign from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, where officials said he had “zero throttle control”, was close to using excessive force, and was considered more of a liability than an asset.
Internal communications showed Major J.M. Shaw of the sheriff’s office told a Lancaster police lieutenant that they didn’t want Beck working anywhere in the county. Despite that, Lancaster PD hired him just a month later.
That hire resulted in:
A $120,000 settlement for Coffey
A $60,000 payout to Beck upon his resignation
A dismissed lawsuit filed by Beck after trying to sue the sheriff’s office for defamation
In December 2024, a judge ruled Beck failed to prove any wrongdoing by the sheriff’s office, saying the department was immune and no defamatory statements had been made.
A Systemic Issue
Coffey’s case has become a symbol of systemic failures in South Carolina’s policing and disciplinary systems. Despite multiple warnings, complaints, and red flags, Beck has faced no criminal charges, kept his badge, and moved to a department with its own record of racially biased practices.
Community leaders and civil rights advocates say her settlement is just a small step toward accountability — and a reminder that much work remains to protect citizens from abuse of power.
