SC H3037

Amends Section 17-13-20 of the South Carolina Code to significantly narrow the circumstances under which citizens may make arrests at nighttime, including using lethal force

Eliminates citizens' authority to arrest someone who has committed a felony, is breaking into an outhouse to plunder, possesses stolen property, or flees when hailed under suspicious circumstances

Retains only one circumstance for citizen arrest: when a person has entered a dwelling house without express or implied permission

Maintains that such arrests may be made "by efficient means as the darkness and the probability of escape render necessary, even if the life of the person should be taken"

Takes effect upon approval by the Governor