UPDATE: Southern Maryland Native/Myrtle Beach Police Police Officer Killed in Line of Duty – Expect Traffic Delays for Large Funeral Procession

October 12, 2020

UPDATE: This upcoming Monday and Tuesday (10/12 & 13/2929), funeral services will be taking place in Charles County for Officer Jacob Hancher, a police officer in Myrtle Beach who was killed in the line of duty on October 3. Officer Hancher was from Charles County and his family still lives in this area.

Members of our Motors Team, along with other local police officers and those traveling from out of state, will be assisting with the funeral. As we pay our respects to Officer Hancher, we want you to know the following traffic information so that you can plan accordingly. Thank you.

  • Monday (10/12/20) evening, October 12 from 4 p.m.- 8 p.m. – Old Washington Road (Route 925) will be closed from Terrace Drive to Decimal Place in Waldorf for the viewing of Officer Hancher.
  • Tuesday (10/13/2020) morning, October 13 from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Poplar Hill Road will be closed between Mattawoman Beantown Road (Route 5) and Gardiner Road.  Also, St Peter’s Church Road will be closed at the entrance to St Peter’s Church. Officers will be on hand to help direct traffic. Our thoughts and our prayers continue to be with the family and his co-workers.

Hancher’s obituary, funeral services and details can be found here. 

Please use caution the the area and expect traffic delays.

UPDATE: On Saturday, October 10th, Sgt. Kris Syvertsen, Cpl. Terrell Hemsley and Cpl. Raymond Brooks of the Charles County Motors Unit assisted in escort ing fallen police officer Jacob Hancher of the Myrtle Beach Police Department back to Southern Maryland, where he is is from. Officer Hancher was shot and killed in the line of duty last week in South Carolina.

UPDATE: A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 virtually on the St. Peter’s School, Waldorf, Facebook page at 10:00 am.

Jacob William Hancher, 23, passed away October 3, 2020 in Myrtle Beach, SC while serving in the line of duty with the Myrtle Beach Police Department. He was born July 24, 1997 in Silver Spring, MD.

Jacob graduated from Thomas Stone High School in Waldorf, in 2015 and attended Horry Georgetown Technical College in Conway, SC. He began his career with the Myrtle Beach Police Department in 2015 as a Community Service Officer and became a Myrtle Beach Police Officer in January 2020. Prior to moving to Myrtle Beach, he was a member of the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department, Fire Station 3 from 2014 to 2015. After moving to Myrtle Beach, he became a member of the Horry County Fire Rescue, Station 45. He was also an Eagle Scout, Troop 417 in Waldorf, a member of St. James Catholic Church in Conway, SC and a life member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Waldorf, where he was baptized.

He is survived by his mother, Suzanne Ondrus Williams and her husband Gene Euchler; father, Jeffrey Hancher and his wife Katherine; siblings, Alexis Hancher, Cecelia Ondrus Williams, Andrew Conklin, Jensen Conklin, and Hope Euchler; maternal grandparents, Paul and Barbara Ondrus; paternal grandparents, Joseph and Betty Hancher; step-paternal grandfather, David Dodson; several aunts, uncles and cousins.

10/04/2020: The Officers and Members of the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of the Myrtle Beach Police Department after Police Officer Jacob Hancher was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic incident last night (10/3/2020).

The shooting happened around 10 p.m. near the 400 block of 14th Ave South.

“He was a dedicated public servant, who upheld his oath to protect this community, and made the ultimate sacrifice,” Chief of Police for the Myrtle Beach Police Department, Amy Prock, said. “He cared about the people that he served, served with, and absolutely loved Myrtle Beach.”

Hancher had served as a community service officer for four years and as a police officer for just under one year.

Jacob was committed to serving his community, not only as a Police Officer but also as an active Volunteer Firefighter with the Horry County Fire Department.

Jacob graduated from Thomas Stone High School, in Waldorf.

Additionally, in 2015, Jacob served honorably as a Firefighter at the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department before moving to the Myrtle Beach area.

Although Jacob was with their department for a short time, he was a well-liked and respected member of their team.

We ask everyone to keep Jacob, his family, and the extend public safety family in your thoughts and prayers during this most difficult time.