Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Arrests and Charges Westminster Man in Homicide Investigation

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested and charged a Westminster man in a homicide investigation from overnight.

37 year old Brian James Schwenk, who has a listed address of Hartwell Cove Drive in Westminster, was booked into the Oconee County Detention Center around 4:03 am Sunday morning on charges of Murder and Possession of a Weapon during Commission of a Violent Crime.

Deputies from the Uniform Patrol Division were dispatched to 246 Little Choesteoa Road in the southern part of Oconee County, near the South Union community, just after 10:00 pm Saturday in regards to reports of a shooting.  

Deputies and paramedics rendered medical aid to the victim, identified by Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis as 65 year-old James Richard Carlson of Westminster. However, the victim died on scene. A white male, identified as Schwenk, was detained at the scene. Deputies observed the victim to have a gunshot wound to the head. The scene was turned over to the Criminal Investigations Division and the Crime Scene unit as evidence was gathered from the scene.

Schwenk was transported from the incident scene and was booked into the Oconee County Detention Center.

The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation.

The incident last night is the first homicide investigated by the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office so far in 2020.