Columbia man sentenced to eight years for domestic violence, child abuse, and possession of illegal shotgun
February 9, 2026
Robert James Norris Jr. pleaded guilty Feb. 5 to domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature, unlawful conduct toward a child stemming from a 2022 incident, and possession of a sawed-off shotgun.
The Honorable Heath P. Taylor sentenced Norris to 15 years, suspended to eight years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Norris must also complete five years of probation with domestic violence and mental health counseling.
Richland County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to Norris’ home on Aug. 19, 2023, after neighbors could hear him screaming threats at his wife. The neighbors recorded the incident and called 911. Deputies found the victim with a severe head injury that temporarily blinded her. Medical records later confirmed a traumatic brain injury.
Norris fled the scene, but a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) helicopter located him shortly after. His child later completed a forensic interview at a Children’s Advocacy Center and described the domestic violence he witnessed that night and on other occasions.
Norris pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful conduct toward a child for verbally and physically abusing his wife in the presence of their son in January 2022. Video footage of the event captured the child’s distress.
Deputies discovered Norris owned a modified shotgun, rendering it an illegal weapon, supporting the charge of possession of a sawed-off shotgun.
The Fifth Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office prosecuted the case. Assistant Solicitor Allison Foster led the prosecution.