WINNSBORO – When the owner of Gibson Funeral Home discovered
that two caskets and a floral arrangement were missing from the funeral home on
Feb. 27, she notified the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety. The owner
described one of the missing caskets as dark blue and the other as silver.
During the investigation, it was learned that a former longtime employee of the funeral home still had access to the building and that he had recently buried two relatives through the services of a different Winnsboro funeral home where he had brought the caskets.
The man was arrested on Wednesday, March 10, and charged
with Larceny for the theft of one of the caskets that was valued at under
$2000, and Grand Larceny for the other casket that was valued at over $2000.
He was booked into the Fairfield County Detention Center and
later released on a $2,500 recognizance bond.
Former county councilwoman Bertha Goins holds up a bottle of JWC water that she says was collected from her faucet. | Michael Smith
JENKINSVILLE – Delays in providing documents in a lawsuit the Jenkinsville Water Company filed against former Fairfield County Councilwoman Bertha Goins have proved costly.
A circuit judge recently slapped the JWC with a $1,600 fine
and ordered the water provider to produce a trove of documents defense
attorneys originally requested in June 2020.
“The Court has heard and considered the specific
deficiencies outlined by Defendant and agrees that Plaintiff’s June 19, 2020
discovery responses are deficient,” Circuit Judge Roger Henderson wrote in a
November 17 order.
Pursuant to that order, Henderson assessed the $1,600 fine
to cover legal costs.
“The Court finds that an award of reasonable costs and
expenses is warranted and must be made [against JWC],” Henderson wrote.
JWC attorney Jeff Goodwyn said there were no deliberate
attempts to withhold documents from the defense.
Goodwyn said JWC staff misunderstood that the defense had
retained a copier to help reproduce the requested documents.
He also said the documentation request was substantial,
making it difficult for the JWC’s limited staff to produce documents more
quickly.
“They (the defense) were asking for a lot of old, very old
documents,” he said. “They (the JWC) were short staffed, they were not able to
find documents quickly as they should have, and the court did not like that.”
The documents have since been provided and the JWC has paid
the $1,600 penalty, Goodwyn noted.
The judicial admonishment comes in response to a pair of
motions to compel the defense filed in June and October. Motions to compel are
more forceful than standard discovery requests by asking a judge to order
another party to produce documents.
The water company sued Goins for slander in March 2020 over
public comments she made that were critical of the JWC’s water quality. Goins
was an elected member of County Council at the time.
Goins denied the allegations and countersued in April 2020,
listing numerous claims including harassment, breach of contract and violations
of the S.C. Freedom of Information Act.
According to court records, attorneys for Goins first
requested JWC documents on April 7, 2020, but the JWC didn’t respond until June
19, 2020. Those documents that were produced were deficient, records state.
“Many of JWC’s responses were deemed incomplete, evasive,
and/or non-responsive by counsel for Ms. Goins,” her attorney wrote in a July
13 filing.
In all, defense attorneys identified 12 deficiencies in the
JWC’s response.
Most of the requests were for various financial and
insurance records, tax returns, water quality reports, and specific defamatory
statements the JWC alleges Goins made.
Judge Henderson agreed the documents must be released.
“Defendant sent a letter to Plaintiff’s counsel on June 30,
2020 outlining those deficiencies and asking that Plaintiff rectify the
deficiencies,” the judge’s order states. “Plaintiff did not respond to the June
30, 2020 letter.”
BLAIR – Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office investigators are
seeking help in locating Blair resident Larry Carter, 42. Carter is wanted for
attempted murder in connection with a shooting that occurred March 16 in
Blair.
Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputies were called to an address on Twisted Lane near Clark’s Bridge Road at 6:21 p.m., Tuesday evening in response to a reported shooting on the front porch of a home.
Upon arrival, deputies found a victim, Frederick Evans, 46,
sitting on a couch inside the residence with a towel wrapped around the lower
part of his left leg. Deputies report that Evans appeared to have a gunshot
wound to his leg and was bleeding heavily and appeared to have lost a large
amount of blood.
Deputies applied a tourniquet to Evan’s leg and he was taken
by ambulance to an area hospital.
There were no other victims and no word about what led up to
the shooting. The incident is under investigation by the Fairfield County
Sheriff’s office.
If you have any information about Carter’s whereabouts,
contact the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers at
1-888-CRIMESC (888-274-6372) or visit midlandscrimestoppers.com to email a tip.
Your identity will be kept anonymous.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – A shooting has been reported on Twisted
Lane off Clarks Bridge Road near the EZ Mart convenience store. The shooting
occurred about 6:45 p.m. Several Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputies
responded.
It is reported that one person was taken to an area
hospital.
This is a breaking story and more will be posted as
information is available.
Alexandra Watson, one of many Winnsboro residents who have lodged complaints with the Town over inconsistent and high utility bills – and the town’s lack of response to those complaints – said her family’s February gas bill was $408.26 for 27 days while their January gas bill was only $125.01 for 34 days. | Barbara Ball
WINNSBORO – After years of complaints about water billing from both Blythewood and Winnsboro customers, the town of Winnsboro is looking at options to upgrade its meter-reading and billing system.
Why now? The cost of better technology has finally come down
to a price that a small town can afford.
“Basically, we’re looking at trying to do a better job for
our citizens and our customers,” Winnsboro Mayor Roger Gaddy said. “We want our
billing process to be accurate, and we want to be proactive in identifying
problems in the system.”
Gaddy readily acknowledged longstanding complaints: that
variation in the length of billing cycles results in inconsistent billing, a
problem that’s worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic; that errors have
sometimes resulted in erroneous bills; and that leaks can go undetected for a
while, resulting in large and unexpected charges for water use.
Two Options
The two options now being considered by town leaders, he
said, are aimed at upgrading the meter-reading and billing system to address
these complaints.
The first option, presented by Elgin-based Ferguson
Waterworks at a town council meeting, is completely automated, enabling an
antenna to communicate with upgraded meters that send back usage data in real
time. This provides two advantages: a labor-free way to implement consistent
billing cycles and the ability to recognize unusual usage indicative of a leak
and alert homeowners early.
“What they can do is they can put an antenna on the top of
our water tanks, and of course put electronic meters on the water meters, that
will give them the ability to look at what people are using water-wise,” Gaddy
said, “so if they’ve got a leak at their houses… they can identify that and be
proactive in calling the people instead of people getting a big bill.”
This option has a higher up-front price tag but would result
in cost savings over time because the town would no longer need to employ
people to go and read utility meters, Gaddy said.
The second option, presented by Border States Meter-Reading
Group, would upgrade meters to communicate not with a tower, but with a device
that meter-readers could use from the road. It would streamline the collection
of meter information to eliminate errors and provide more consistent billing,
but without the ability to spot leaks as quickly. “What they do is they put a
meter on your water meter and… it’s kind of a ride-by meter reading where an
individual can ride by and read the meter without having to go in the backyard
and fight off dogs and that sort of thing,” Gaddy said.
The up-front cost of this option is lower, but it would
require continued employment of meter-readers and so could have a higher cost
over time, Gaddy said.
Of course, both options also require ongoing fees and
maintenance, and Gaddy said the town is still awaiting the cost estimate data
that will be needed to make a good comparison between them. He anticipates the
town council will have the information it needs to make a decision soon.
Blythewood Pilot
Gaddy said $800,000 for a Blythewood pilot project, which
would serve about 1,500 customers, is in the budget for this year.
Assuming all goes well with the chosen option, the plan
would be to then upgrade the system in the town’s main water service area – and
the town has the money to put this in its 2022 budget. The hope then would be
to extend the technology upgrade to Winnsboro’s other utilities – sewer, gas,
and electric.
Winnsboro is one of just five municipalities in South
Carolina that have these four utilities – which Gaddy credits with its ability
to avoid charging town property taxes.
While he said he’s still awaiting information and the town
council has yet to make a decision, Gaddy said he likes the idea of an
all-automated system because of its simplicity and the opportunity it offers to
be proactive about water leaks. It’s a plan that Mayor Pro Tem John McMeekin,
who is running for Gaddy’s seat in April, has been eyeing for some time.
“We’ve got a proposal from both of the companies,” Gaddy
said, “but we have not made a decision which one we are going to go with yet.”
He said the town looked at systems like these a few years
ago, but the cost then was too high. In the time since, the complaints have
continued – and the cost has come down.
Town Has The Money
“The good thing is we do have enough money in the budget
that we can certainly do the pilot project of the water in Blythewood, and we
have enough money in the budget that we could put the system in for water in
Winnsboro,” he said, “and then, once you have that basic system in, if you
decide to expand it to electricity and natural gas in Winnsboro, it’s not going
to be a major financial commitment.”
Gaddy, who after 12 years as mayor is not seeking re-election, says it’s likely the town will make its decision within the next six months and have at least the pilot project installed within the next year.
BLYTHEWOOD- After hearing from the property owner and town staff, the Blythewood Planning Commission unanimously approved a recommendation Monday for rezoning of the former Red Gate property near downtown Blythewood.
Their recommendation for the 140-acre site, which sits along
Blythewood Rd., between Muller and Syrup Mill roads, is to rezone approximately
60 acres of road frontage property to town center, a designation that allows
for a variety of commercial uses but with a lot of restrictions. The remainder
would be zoned rural, which is reflective of its current use.
If approved by the Blythewood Town Council, the rezoning
could effectively create a separate town center on the west side of Interstate
77 from the current town center, and increase the total area with the Town
Center zoning designation in Blythewood by approximately 13 percent.
“That’s progress driven by population and many, many other
factors,” said Planning Commission Vice-Chairman Malcolm Gordge who is a
longtime proponent of commercial zoning in both the town center and in the rural
areas outside the town.
“Don’t forget when the town first started it was only
one-quarter of a square mile, so it’s increased many, many, many times, and I
think the town council understands and knows that you can’t stop growth. I
think this is perfectly in line with their expectations, so long as it’s
managed and controlled.”
The zoning of the property in question has an interesting
history. Back in 2007, when it was still part of Richland County, the site was
given a planned development designation, which was created for mixed-use
development projects.
An important aspect of planned development zoning is that
it’s tied to a specific development plan, and in this case the plan proposed by
a developer was to build more than 500 homes, a mixture of single-family and
multi-family, along with approximately 36 acres of commercial development.
Several years later, another developer proposed a similar
project. But, like the first one, it was never developed.
While the current zoning ordinance requires the town to
rezone such property if an approved development doesn’t take place within two
years, that process was not formally initiated until last fall.
That process began in the midst of a residential development
boom in Blythewood that has left many residents concerned about the fast pace
of growth and the inability of current infrastructure to support it.
Coincidentally, the property changed hands around the same
time, leading to some controversy about the proposed rezoning of the property
to D-1, a general zoning designation for large parcels on the fringe of urban
growth where the character of development has not yet been determined.
The planning commission was then instructed to meet with the
property owner to come up with a rezoning plan that eliminated the planned
development district but gave the property a zoning designation which the new
owner could support, while also being consistent with town planning documents.
Monday night’s recommendation by the planning commission was
the result of this process.
At Monday’s meeting, members of the Dinkins family, who now
own the land, were asked to share their thoughts about its potential future
development.
Marshall Dinkins, who has spoken previously for the family
during the process, said there is no specific development plan in the works.
Understanding what the zoning will be and what type of development the town
will allow and consider favorable, he said, will play a role in what sort of
plans are considered going forward.
“There have not been any plans made at all on development,”
he said. “We’re riding four-wheelers on it. That’s all we’re doing right this
second.”
His father, Byron Dinkins, said most likely his children
will oversee the land’s development – but his vision for the property would
include a site for something that benefits the whole community, such as a new
medical center.
“Right now, with everything going on,” he said, “houses and
apartments and all that are totally out.”
Blythewood Planning Commission Chairman Rich Mckenrick said
that, all things considered, the planning commission’s recommended zoning is a
good resolution to the issue.
“[If this is approved by the town council] you would not and
could not build 232 single-family homes, and you could not build 300
apartments. This zoning would prohibit that,” Mckenrick said.
“I really don’t think any developer could’ve gone in there
now and tried to act on the planned development without some kind of
significant pushback from the town and probably some kind of litigation for how
long that development [plan] sat there,” he said.
“In the end, is it perfect? I don’t think anything is ever
perfect, but I think it’s a step in the right direction if you’re going to curb
single-family development along the Blythewood Road corridor, and you put a lot
of responsibility back on the town with that town center development [zoning].”
WINNSBORO – As the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office
continues to look into the source of a hate letter that was mailed to several
residents in the Dawkins community earlier this month, Sheriff Will Montgomery
updated The Voice on the investigation Tuesday morning.
“The FBI, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED)
and the United States Postal Service are all involved in the investigation and
met with us Monday, Feb. 25 to discuss some things and we talked again on
Monday, March 1,” Montgomery said.
Investigators have reportedly questioned several people in
the Dawkins community who received the letters and others.
“SLED processed the letters for possible DNA and fingerprints.”
Montgomery said. “They came up with 30 fingerprints and 100 samples of DNA. Of
the 30 fingerprints, many of them were from Sheriff’s deputies and from those
who received the letters in the mail. But a number of them were from unknown
persons and SLED is looking at those for a match. They’re checking for matches
and will get back to us with any results,” he said. “The investigators are
taking this very seriously and are thoroughly investigating this crime.”
Anyone with information about the mailing, call 803-635-4141 or 803-635-5511. A reward of $2,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who sent the letters. The identity of the person providing the information will be kept anonymous.
WINNSBORO – A fire broke out in a home on N. Congress Street
Tuesday evening about 8:30 causing substantial damage. The occupants of the
home were reported to be outside when the fire started in the kitchen.
Five fire units from the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety
and the Fairfield County Fire Service were on scene. No injuries were
reported.
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Sheriff Will Montgomery is asking for the public’s assistance in locating 23-year-old Brian Chase Haas of Blythewood.
Haas is currently wanted on warrants for grand larceny in
connection with the recent thefts of utility trailers throughout Fairfield
County. Haas also has connections in Kershaw County.
Anyone with information as to Haas’ whereabouts should
contact the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers at
1-888-CRIMESC (888-274-6372) or email tips to: midlandscrimestopers.com. Your
identity will be kept anonymous.
A rendition of the planned restoration of Mt. Zion.
WINNSBORO – Cancelling plans for a new county building would trigger litigation that could cost Fairfield County upwards of $13 million, some council members say.
“If the ultimate goal is to tear down this project, we’re
probably looking at a $13 million lawsuit we can’t afford,” Councilman Neil
Robinson said during a special meeting Feb. 10. “We’re looking at our bond
rating going down and we’re looking at no other plan to house [county]
employees.”
Robinson’s grim warning came in response to Council Chairman
Moses Bell’s suggestion to create an ad hoc committee to “review the Mt. Zion
contract to determine the costs to the county from the beginning to the end.”
Council members voted 4-3, with Bell and council members
Mikel Trapp, Shirley Greene and Tim Roseborough supporting the committee. Bell
appointed Greene, Roseborough and Robinson to serve on the committee.
In October 2018, the council in a supermajority 5-2 decision
voted to repurpose the old Mt. Zion Institute into a new county building and
lease it at an estimated cost of $4.2 million.
The current council, however, has consistently voted 4-3
since they were seated on Jan. 11, 2020, and in the opposite direction as prior
councils recently have voted.
Bell stated an ad hoc committee was needed to determine the
true costs associated with the Mt. Zion plan.
“We continue to get this question—how much is it costing us?” Bell said, not specifying who is asking the question. “The purpose of this [committee] is just to see how much this is costing us from inception up until
now.
“We need to look at the cost end of the building,” Bell
continued. “We don’t know what that’s going to look like.”
“Is the true intention of Mt. Zion committee to lay the groundwork for canceling the contract?
– Councilman Neil Robinson
Gilbert, though, said spending time revisiting the Mt. Zion vote also risks hampering ongoing projects, such as infrastructure upgrades and recruiting industry.
“Shouldn’t we be looking forward instead of looking
backwards?” he said. “It just doesn’t make any sense. We as a council and the
administrator should be moving Fairfield County forward.”
Greene countered by saying it’s the council’s responsibility
to evaluate how taxpayer money is spent.
“We’re responsible for making sure our money is spent
judiciously. We can’t do that if the information isn’t in front of us,” Greene
said. “If we’re going to move Fairfield forward, we have to make sure we have
all the financial information that we need.”
Robinson said he worries the true intention of the Mt. Zion
committee is to lay the groundwork for canceling the contract.
“Before this new council came in, it was already said that
the first thing on the agenda was to tear down old projects,” Robinson said.
“It kind of seems like we’re following suit with that. If we spend two years
digging up all old stuff to make sure it’s correct, we won’t get anything
done,” Robinson added.
Bell responded that he’s heard conflicting figures about the
true cost and forming a committee will help pin down the exact figure.
“We want to settle all the questions,” Bell said.
Councilman Doug Pauley reminded Bell that the answers to
cost-related questions can be found in recordings of the various public
meetings and town halls the council held on the subject.
“I’ll tell you what’s amazing to me, except for Ms. Greene
and Mr. Roseborough, who have recently been elected, all five of us were here when
the Mt. Zion contract was done,” Pauley said. “Now we get to this point and you
don’t have a clue what was spent, what was discussed. The five of us already on
council should’ve already answered these questions.”
The Mt. Zion committee has been tasked with reporting back
to the council within 60 days.
Also during the Monday night special meeting, council
members voted 4-3 to create another ad hoc committee, this one to hire a new
county attorney.
Former county attorney Tommy Morgan is resigning effective
March 1, citing the shifting political landscape in Fairfield County following
the November election.
The Feb. 10 vote initially began as a motion for “the
council to hire the new attorney” without any additional details.
Pressed by Robinson, Gilbert and Pauley for details, Bell
said he’s looking to form a committee, which wasn’t stated in the original
motion.
Bell said he would be chairing the committee, which would
also include Councilman Trapp, and that County Administrator Jason Taylor would
serve in an advisory capacity.
The committee will interview the attorney candidates and
make a recommendation to the council.
There was no discussion of advertising the county attorney
vacancy. Rather, Bell said, “We’re thinking about reaching out to those persons
we know with the help of attorneys that we know today.”
The agenda for last week’s meeting also contained an item
regarding forming a third ad hoc committee to review census data, but action on
that item was postponed.
