Charleston businessman arrested on harassment, stalking charges, Rep. Mace reacts

SULLIVAN'S ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) — A Charleston-area entrepreneur who once owned a local soccer team and was one of four men named by Rep. Nancy Mace in her explosive Feb. 10 House floor speech surrendered to police Tuesday for charges of harassment and stalking allegedly filed by his wife.

45-year-old Eric Bowman was taken into custody at the Al Cannon Detention Center Tuesday after turning himself into police for charges of harassment 1st degree and stalking.

In July 2024, police were contacted by a woman who discovered a tracking device on her car, according to Sullivan's Island police reports. SIPD said an officer met with a woman whose father had driven her car to New York and stayed at an Airbnb. While there, her father found a tracking device plugged into her car. He then reportedly removed the device, wrapped it in tin foil, and drove back to South Carolina.

The victim followed up with SIPD in September, and the case officer contacted 9th Circuit District Solicitor Scarlett Wilson for advice.

In October, SIPD was contacted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the agency handling the investigation into another man Rep. Mace named in her speech.

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Later that month, SIPD contacted the manufacturer of the tracking device which rendered "crucial" data that led officers to believe the law had been broken. Officers contacted SLED with the updates in December and no warrants were filed.

On Feb. 13, 2025, a woman visited SIPD headquarters to speak with an officer about Rep. Mace's speech from the night prior. She was interviewed by Chief Glenn Meadows "expressed her fears" about Eric Bowman, according to the incident report. Bowman's picture was put up on a board labelled "PREDATORS" and "STAY AWAY FROM" next to the Mace as she spoke from the House floor. She alleged Bowman, her ex-fiancé Patrick Bryant, and two other men had collaborated to target several women with physical abuse, nonconsensual recording of sex acts, rape, and other sexual misconduct.

Warrants for harassment 1st degree and stalking were ultimately signed on April 4 and Bowman's attorney advised police his client would turn himself in, which he did Tuesday.

Bowman appeared in bond court later Tuesday morning, where he was a granted $10,000 surety bond and ordered not to contact the victim.

In a post on X, Bowman claimed the woman behind the charges was his wife Melissa Britton, who he said he's been separated from for almost two years with no contact since Nov. 2023. "Uh, why not file for divorce first?" Bowman asked.

Britton spoke at Bowman's bond hearing and asked the court to set the highest possible bond condition. She said Bowman posed a "clear" ongoing danger to her, her family, and the community, referencing his previous conviction. She alleged Bowman had threatened her in the past, telling her the police couldn't protect her.

Britton said she left Bowman's residence in April 2023 due to "escalating threats and violence," which she said continued after she left. She said he was using the GPS data from her car to surveil her for "months."

After Bowman's arrest, Rep. Mace issued a statement about his booking, calling him a "predator."

"If you harm women and kids you should face the full force of the law," Mace said. "Justice is coming."

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Eric Bowman, a Charleston Southern University alum, was the CEO of Berkeley County software company SPARC for seven years before founding the online video platform Stream Live, and briefly owned the Charleston Battery soccer team before selling in 2019. This isn't his first brush with local authorities.

In 2018, Bowman was charged with second degree assault and battery and hit and run with minor personal injuries after he allegedly left a Sullivan's Island pub without paying, was involved in a traffic accident driving his golf cart, and left the scene without rendering aid or reporting it. He was ultimately ordered to pay $1.8 million in actual damages and $2.7 in punitive damages to Wallace Blair Crosby. Bowman vehemently denied the allegations at the time.

READ MORE | "Court upholds $4.5 million verdict against ex-Charleston Battery owner for 2018 incident"