FAIRFIELD COUNTY – A single car fatal accident occurred on Highway 321 Bypass about 3:10 p.m., Wednesday according to Highway Patrol officer Matt Southern. The driver was wearing a seat belt.
According to the report, the vehicle was southbound on Highway 321 when it left the right side of the road, the driver over-corrected and left the road on the left side, went down an embankment and overturned. The only occupant of a 2005 Honda sustained fatal injuries and died on the scene.
The accident is being investigated by the S.C. Highway
Patrol and the Fairfield County Coroner’s office.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office is
asking for the public’s help in locating Joshua L Williamson. He is wanted for
Attempted Murder.
On Oct. 3, Williamson shot his father with a rifle and
choked his mother until she became unconscious, according to the Sheriff’s
office.
Williamson left the scene driving a black 2000 Chevy Camaro
with T-Tops, S.C tag # SPH 382. He lives in Florence, SC and frequents Aiken
County.
His parents live in Fairfield County in the area of Lake
Wateree where the incident took place. Williamson is to be considered armed and
dangerous. He is described as a white
male, 5 feet 11 inches tall, approximately 190 pounds, black hair and blue
eyes.
If anyone has information regarding his location, they are
asked to contact the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office (803-635-4141) or
Crimestoppers (1-CRIMESC or 1-888-274-6372).
Anyone who sees Williamson, is urged to immediately call
911.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – With a $1.8 million land deal being proposed by Fairfield County, a partnership between the county and the Town of Blythewood is on track to check two big items off of local wish lists: a much-needed wastewater treatment plant and a ballfield complex for youth sports teams.
Fairfield County Council Chair Neil Robinson said both
projects are part of a long-range vision that could turn Interstate-77’s Exit
32 in Fairfield County into a new hotspot for development.
Fairfield County Administrator Jason Taylor agreed, adding
that if all the pieces come together, it could be a great benefit to the
citizens of both Fairfield County and Blythewood.
“The way you grow a community is not just by shuffling money
around inside the county or town; you need to bring in outside dollars.” Taylor
said, touting both the tournament-hosting potential of a sports complex and the
potential draw of adjacent commercial development made possible by the
wastewater treatment plant.
“There’s a synergy here – one thing helps build upon the other, and all those things help the critical thing that we’re focused on here [with this project], the wastewater treatment plant,” he said.
The need for increased wastewater capacity has been high on
Fairfield’s priority list recently as most of its existing capacity is already
in use. The county has brought in considerable new industry and accompanying
new jobs during the last three years or so, leaving Fairfield with only about
30,000 gallons of wastewater capacity – a fact that limits current potential
for both industrial and other types of development all over the county, and is
now prompting some industrial prospects to look elsewhere, taking their jobs
with them.
“Adding more wastewater capacity is key to the future
development of commercial and residential in the county. Without the new
capacity, the creation of new jobs, shopping opportunities and residential
development will be severely limited,” Taylor said.
“We had to find a site for the plant that has direct access
to a stream that can handle the expected effluent and will not require a
long-distance pipeline to a discharge site,” he said. The county settled on
property on Peach Road at the intersection of Cook Road just west of Exit 32 in
Fairfield County, just one exit north of Blythewood.
As it turned out, the property for sale is about 385 acres,
much larger and more expensive than what’s needed for the plant.
Enter Blythewood, where the need for ballfields has become a high priority with the exponential growth of the community. Building a sports complex was something newly elected Mayor Bryan Franklin talked about a lot in his campaign last fall. Blythewood, home of the popular Blythewood Youth Baseball & Softball League (BYSBL), has the revenue potential from accommodation and hospitality tax to purchase property for a sports complex but has not so far found a suitable/affordable site.
The Plan
The proposal is for the county to develop the wastewater
treatment plant and an extensive recreation park on 225+/- acres it purchased
on the south side of the property, and Blythewood is considering purchasing
60+/- acres in the center of the property for the sports complex. The current
land owner, Joseph Richardson, would retain about 100+/- acres on the north
side of the property for private multi-use development, including commercial,
possibly with apartments above.
In addition, the county portion of the park – a site not
suited for industrial development – will include the wastewater treatment plant
concealed in a heavily wooded area and a 50-acre pond that, Taylor said, is a
potential showplace, ideally suited for fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and maybe
a water’s edge event venue as well as a network of recreational trails.
“Because the wastewater treatment plant is located on the
property, it could reduce development costs on the site as much as $2-$3
million since they won’t have to run pipes, acquire easements and install pump
stations,” Fairfield County Economic Development Director Ty Davenport added.
Taylor said a partnership between Fairfield and Blythewood
and the landowner just makes sense.
Blythewood on Board
Franklin agrees.
“It’s just too good of an opportunity for us to pass up,”
Franklin told The Voice. “While our council has not yet voted on this plan,
we’ve discussed it in executive session and I know that all of our council
members are excited about it. We’re looking forward to moving on it.”
That move, however, could take as much as six to eight
months, he said.
“Blythewood doesn’t have a big budget, but we could pay for
the land over a three-year period of time. We just need time to assess it, get
our funds together, and let Fairfield get the zoning on the property.”
Having grown up in Blythewood, Franklin said he has fond
memories of playing on the three BYSBL fields when he was young. Those fields,
today, can barely accommodate the number of kids who want to play. Franklin
said he would like to see the town have a state-of-the-art facility like this
to support the BYSBL while also bringing substantial revenue to the town.
“Located on I-77 in the center of the state, the sports complex is going to attract kids of all sports from all areas of the state,” Franklin said. “And the commercial area is what the residents of Blythewood want to see – more restaurants, more things to do and close to home – just five miles from our Blythewood exit.”
A Mutual Benefit
“Both Blythewood and Fairfield will benefit from what the
other has in the park,” Davenport said. “For instance, Fairfield would have
joint use of Blythewood’s sports complex and neither would have to pay fees. A
rendering of the complex features up to eight baseball fields and five
soccer/football fields among other amenities that might include a hotel with
balconies for viewing games.”
From a development standpoint, Taylor said, the wastewater
treatment plant and sports complex projects are just the beginning. In addition
to meeting current needs, pairing needed infrastructure with a tourism-drawing
amenity will promote good, sustainable development at Exit 32.
That could help the county land a large manufacturing facility, Taylor said, such as an auto plant, just down the road at the future Exit 32 megasite. Such a facility, he said, would be a stable provider of jobs for the county and could also help attract the kind of planned, commercial development on Richardson’s acreage that might be anchored by a major sporting goods store and include hotels, restaurants and retail, which would bring in revenue during sports tournaments as well as serving Interstate travelers.
Annexation
Because of the proximity of the property to the Town of
Blythewood along Boney Road, the option is on the table for Blythewood to annex
the entire 385 acres and reap considerable revenue from not only the sports
complex, but the accommodation and hospitality taxes generated by the hotels
and restaurants, as well as franchise fees, business license fees and building
permits from the commercial development.
The long term plan could be extremely beneficial for the
citizens of both Blythewood and Fairfield County and would certainly raise the
fortunes of all of the residents of Fairfield County on many levels, including
jobs and new residential neighborhoods, Taylor said.
“The county would collect property taxes on all three
parcels. The site generates about $4,000 annually in taxes now,” he said. “A
single business in the commercial section could bring in well over $100,000
annually in property taxes. The property tax potential for the county is in the
millions”.
County officials say the several hundred acres adjacent to
the 385 acres are prime for the kind of nature-based housing subdivisions that
have replaced golf courses as the preferred type of residential development
across the country.
Davenport said the Exit 32 interchange, itself, is a
valuable asset with I-77, a major travel artery between Columbia and Charlotte,
a continuous resource.
“An interstate exit like Exit 32 costs about $50-75 million,
a resource that we need to take advantage of,” he said.
Master Planned
“I would really like to see this development taken to the
next level,” Taylor said. “We hope to develop a master plan and development
agreement on top of everything else, including tax incentives and other
incentives that make it more desirable for someone to come in and develop the
site to its best and highest use.
“We’re not just dreaming here,” Taylor said. “I think all of
this can be reality. We want to create a traditional, attractive community in
the commercial section that may have upstairs apartments, and where people can
easily take advantage of the proposed parks and the easy access to Columbia on
the interstate. We want to be proactive and get ahead of this [growth at Exit
32] with a development that is well thought out and sustainable.
“All this is driven by the wastewater treatment plant,” he
said. “We have to have the plant to support the future megasite just six miles
up the road. And when that plant hits, this 385 acres is going to explode.
Commerce has told us we have to be ready because when it does hit, it will be
hard at that point to catch up. I think that if we do this public-private
partnership right, everything will work.”
“At this point, of course, it’s just a proposal, a
public-private partnership between the county and the landowner to spur
development at Exit 32 to support the wastewater treatment plant and the plant
supporting growth, hand in hand,” Taylor said. “The county is also trying to
work with Blythewood to accomplish some of the goals that their mayor has set,
such as annexation and recreation. We can all three win here because our interests
are aligned to have improved access for all of our citizens to quality of life
amenities such as new parks, shopping options and residential choices – all the
things we can potentially have on that 385 acres,” he said.
Though there are still a lot of details that remain to be worked out on the project, all parties are hopeful.
Timeline
The timeline, of course, will be measured in years. Robinson
said 3-4 years is realistic for the $32 million plant to go through permitting
and construction, after which its capacity will be available to serve new
development in the county, both commercial and residential.
In addition to potential state funding contributing to the
plant’s construction, Robinson expects to pull $5 million from county coffers,
cover $8-10 million with the passage of a new penny sales tax, and cover the
rest with revenue generated by end users.
While Robinson said the penny tax is the most effective way
to fund the plant, the tax is dependent on voter approval on Nov. 3.
“With the penny tax, council wouldn’t have to raise property
taxes,” Robinson said.
The wastewater treatment plant’s two-million-gallon
capacity, expandable to four million gallons, is expected to serve Fairfield
County’s needs for at least 20 years.
“The wastewater treatment
plant has to happen. Without it, Fairfield County will have very limited growth
potential in the future; but when it’s built, the county will be in a great
position to welcome new growth, and to more fully realize its potential,”
Taylor said.
Robinson agreed.
“While people don’t necessarily love a wastewater treatment facility, and paying for it with a penny tax doesn’t give people a warm fuzzy feeling, they love what it brings – jobs, retail, industrial and residential growth, recreation, all of that and, quite frankly, lower property taxes in the end,” Robinson said.
The county has scheduled a virtual town hall meeting for 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6 to explain the plan and answer any questions from the public. To register for the webinar meeting, go to: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sbFWi2blQxSOIVks-WpNdw.
BLYTHEWOOD – The rezoning of the Red Gate Farms property, a large undeveloped parcel near the heart of town, will go back to the planning commission Monday night after a convoluted vote by the Blythewood Town Council.
The reason was to allow time for the new owners of the
property, who purchased it in June, to come up with a plan and request zoning
consistent with their plans to develop it.
The land, roughly 143 acres on Blythewood Road, between
Muller and Syrup Mill roads, is currently designated as a PD (Planned
Development) district, a site-specific zoning designation for mixed-use
developments.
It’s been that way for more than a decade after a developer
had designed a mixed-use project to include 232 houses, 300 apartment units,
and 36 acres of commercial development, but never moved forward with
construction.
Town officials noted during the meeting that any development
other than the original mixed-use plan would require rezoning.
At its Sept. 3 meeting, the Blythewood Planning Commission
voted to recommend rezoning of the property to D-1, a zoning designation for
large parcels on the fringe of urban growth where the character of development
has not yet been determined.
The commission was acting on a town ordinance that requires
rezoning to be initiated when projects with PD zoning do not move forward after
two years. The Town officials did not appear to be aware at that time that the
property, which was owned by Arthur State Bank for several years, had recently
changed hands.
“A rezoning of this property has been discussed ad nauseum
over the past 2-3 years,” said Town Council Member Donald Brock, a former
planning commission chairman who recalled some of the meetings leading up to
the commission’s recent recommendation.
During a public hearing on the rezoning at Monday’s town council
meeting, town resident Marshall Dinkins spoke on behalf of the property owners,
his parents, Byron and Susan Dinkins, asking that council defer the vote for 90
days to allow them to decide how they wanted to develop the property.
Dinkins suggested the family might want to rezone the
frontage along Blythewood Road as commercial and the rear of the property D-1.
Town Councilman Eddie Baughman expressed support for the
Dinkins family’s request, citing their history as longtime residents of
Blythewood.
“I think the Dinkins have always been fine businesspeople in
this town, always cared about this town,” Baughman said. “I think we need to
work with them.”
Mayor Bryan Franklin agreed with Baughman.
Brock argued that, nonetheless, rezoning to D-1 would put
the property in an appropriate holding pattern and establish a “clean slate”
upon which to make a plan for rezoning. This, he said, would be preferable to
leaving a long-defunct mixed-use development plan sitting on the books.
He assured the Dinkins family that, despite the coincidental
timing, the rezoning was not personal – and the intent of an approval of D-1
was for them to come back before the planning commission with a fresh plan and
a fresh zoning request of their town.
Town administrator interjected that if the Town voted to
rezone the property to D-1 as recommended by the Commission, that it would take
a couple of for a second reading and
then for the Dinkins to come back to the planning commission for a new zoning
designation. If they denied the recommendation to rezone to D-1, the family
could apply to the commission next month (or the next) for the zoning they want
and move on, then for a decision of the town council, saving them two to three
months of time to be rezoned.
Mayor Bryan Franklin, noting Cook’s timeline involved with
rezoning to D-1, agreed that it would delay the opportunity for the Dinkins
family to work with the planning commission, requiring them to wait months
through the process before their work could begin.
“What we’re talking about is saving time,” he said,
insisting that rezoning to D-1 is not necessary to create a “clean slate,”
which can instead be accomplished with a rezoning request initiated by the
Dinkins family based on how they’d like to develop the land.
The council voted 4-1 to deny the rezoning recommended by
the planning commission, indicating an expectation that the Dinkins family
would work with the planning commission on a new rezoning request. Brock voted
against.
WINNSBORO – A person walking on S.C. Highway 213, was killed
when hit by a pickup truck early Sunday morning, according to South Carolina
Highway Patrol.
Jaylan Hamilton, 20, of Mt. Holly, N.C. is the name of the
pedestrian who was struck.
The crash happened at about 2 a.m., near Fairview Church
Road, Master Trooper Brandon Bolt said.
Hamilton was reported walking west in the roadway of S.C.
213 when hit by a 2019 Dodge pickup truck that was also heading west, according
to Bolt.
Hamilton was taken to an area hospital and died, Bolt said.
The driver and a passenger in the truck were wearing seat
belts and were not hurt in the crash, according to Bolt who said Hamilton was
not wearing reflective clothing.
No other injuries were reported.
The crash is being investigated by the Highway Patrol.
This story was updated September 28, 2020 at 9:23 p.m.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster
suspends Stuart and appoints a former Chester County Magistrate as interim
county supervisor.
CHESTER – Chester County Supervisor Shane Stuart has been indicted on multiple charges by the State Grand Jury related to criminal conspiracy, drugs and misconduct in office.
Stuart
Specifically, Stuart stands charged with two counts of manufacturing methamphetamines, one count of trafficking methamphetamines/ice/crank/crank, misconduct in office and criminal conspiracy. He was booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County and remained there awaiting a bond hearing as of early Thursday afternoon.
The indictment on criminal conspiracy notes that Stuart “did
willfully, unlawfully and feloniously unite, conspire, confederate, agree and
have tacit understanding and agreement between two or more persons” regarding
theft of catalytic converters from vehicles owned by Chester County” while
serving as county supervisor.
The two counts of distribution say Stuart “on or about
September 3, 2020 (did) knowingly manufacture, distribute, dispense, deliver
and purchase methamphetamine.” The misconduct in office charge relates to the
fact that Stuart allegedly trafficked methamphetamines in a county vehicle and
during his normal workday.
A separate indictment specifies that Stuart did “possess,
sell, manufacture, deliver, purchase or bring into this state 10 grams of more
of methamphetamine” in York County.
Also charged were 40-year-old Brittany Jane Oneppo and
32-year-old Ace Donovon Hembree. The latter is a former employee of Chester
County, having once served as team leader of the Animal Care and Enforcement
team.
In March of last year, Hembree was allegedly drinking at a
local restaurant with Stuart and others, attempted to leave in his county
truck, backed into another vehicle and left the scene. After a lengthy
investigation approved by Chester County Council, Hembree left his position. He
was eventually rehired by Stuart, fired by an act of the council, rehired by
Stuart and fired again by the council, which also passed an ordinance
preventing terminated employees from being rehired for a period of time.
Chester County Council held an emergency meeting Thursday
morning to receive legal advice relative to Stuart’s indictment. Sheriff Max
Dorsey spoke briefly in the open portion of the meeting, primarily addressing
county employees that gathered in council chambers.
“I’m just here to tell you there has been some action taken
on the county supervisor,” Dorsey said. “Mr. Stuart is in law enforcement
custody. There are some things that have to continue going in our county and,
of course, you play that role. You’re the ones that make this county run and
operate.”
Dorsey said, “a lot has happened in the last 48 hours” and
that information would be limited initially. He acknowledged that employees
would have questions that can’t be answered right now. He said the State Law
Enforcement Division (SLED) was involved in the investigation of Stuart.
The only action taken by the council after a lengthy
executive session was to amend the county’s procurement policy. Per normal
policy, the county supervisor provides authorization for purchases by
department heads, but the council voted to allow that responsibility to fall to
Chester County Treasurer Tommy Darby. Councilman Joe Branham read a statement
on behalf of the council.
“Chester County was the recipient of disheartening
allegations today about the county supervisor…allegations that sadden us all.
It is important to recognize that the allegations made are against an
individual and not Chester County and not Chester County Council,” he said.
He said the council remains a resilient body and will work
to continue moving the county forward.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order late Thursday suspending Chester County Supervisor Kenneth Shane Stuart and appointing Wylie Glenn Frederick as interim county supervisor. Frederick had served as Chester County Magistrate until he was one of four magistrates in Chester County who were not recommended for reappointment by Sen. Mike Fanning last year. The executive order states that Frederick will serve as supervisor of Chester County until Stuart is acquitted or a successor is elected.
Stuart will faced a bond hearing at 10 a.m., Friday before
judge DeAndrea Benjamin in Richland County.
This story will be updated as more information is available.
For video of Thursday’s emergency meeting of Chester County
Council, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ0VRZkdRlU
COLUMBIA – By 46 votes, Jesica Mackey won a special Democratic primary runoff in Richland County Council’s District 9 on Tuesday, and has most likely secured the seat in the upcoming November election. There is no Republican challenger.
Mackey, a public relations executive, with 631 votes (52
percent) bested Jonnieka Farr, a business analyst, with 585 votes (48 percent).
A portion of the far eastern side of Blythewood, including
part of LongCreek Plantation subdivision, is represented by District 9.
During the Sept. 9 primary, Farr finished with 39 percent of
the vote to Mackey’s 34 percent, setting up a runoff. Cody Pressley finished
third, and Angela Addison finished fourth.
Mackey will take the seat that was previously held by
Councilman Calvin “Chip” Jackson who died unexpectedly on Aug. 7, after winning
the Democratic Primary in June over Farr in a runoff. Jackson was finishing his
first term on council. He had previously served as chairman of the Richland Two
school board.
The Richland County election commission will certify the
race on Thursday.
Wire Fraud, Additional Corruption Charge Filed Against Former Chester Sheriff
CHESTER – A superseding indictment has been filed in federal court against suspended Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood and two former deputies that adds additional charges onto those previously filed.
Underwood and former deputy Johnny Neal now face additional
corruption and wire fraud charges in relation to payments made for working at
ECHO DUI task force traffic checkpoints.
Alex Underwood
The Hazel Pittman Center, Chester County’s designated state substance abuse authority, received a federal grant to help pay officers for working at the checkpoints in an effort to curb drunk driving. The program was announced with great fanfare more than five years ago. In May of this year, The News & Reporter exclusively obtained portions of a financial audit of the sheriff’s office (ordered by interim Sheriff Max Dorsey upon taking office) that dealt with officer reimbursements for working those checkpoints.
Payment Discrepancies
The audit compared actual hours worked by officers at the
checkpoints with the payments they actually received. As the program wore on,
discrepancies arose that became more frequent and involved larger amounts of
money over time.
Underwood and Neal began to reap considerably larger checks
than they appear to have been earning, with other officers being shorted their
due amount.
At one checkpoint, Underwood was paid $300 despite not
actually having worked the checkpoint at all. On Dec. 19, 2017, eight of the 10
officers listed as having worked four hours apiece (at a rate of $30-an-hour)
were not paid anything, while Neal and another deputy (who has not been
indicted or charged) raked in $600 each. The money was paid directly to the
sheriff’s office instead of to the county treasurer (thus limiting the ability
of anyone outside sheriff’s department to track the funds) and appears to have
been dispersed to deputies with no taxes being withheld.
The new indictment
states that Underwood and Neal “fraudulently obtained payment for work at ECHO
checkpoints that they did not perform based on hours billed to Hazel Pittman
for other sheriff’s office employees…(they) skimmed from the payments made to
the sheriff’s office account based on work performed by subordinate employees…on
other occasions (they) split the money received in the sheriff’s office bank
account for the work of certain sheriff’s office employees, while the affected
employees received nothing.”
A person with knowledge of the situation told The News &
Reporter that deputies who were not paid for their work with grant money from
the Hazel Pittman Center may have put down overtime for their work instead. The
sheriff’s office incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in overtime during
the years the task force was in operation.
Wire Fraud Charges
The new indictment also states that Underwood and Neal
“caused to be transmitted by means of wire communication…(a) deposit of Hazel
Pittman in South Carolina to the First Citizens Bank Central Bank Operation in
North Carolina and interstate transfer of funds associated” with various
invoices, leading to the inclusion of wire fraud charges.
Other portions of the superseding indictment deal with
charges the two men, along with former Chief Deputy Robert Sprouse, were
already facing. Several deal with the alleged illegal arrest of Fort Lawn
resident Kevin Simpson.
On Nov. 20, 2018, Simpson was live-streaming a head-on
traffic accident scene near his house, but ultimately ended up streaming his
own arrest, which came after he complied with Underwood’s command to leave his
yard and go to his porch because of a manhunt that was in progress.
Once on his porch, Simpson said “We’re good, bro. Now,
manhunt.”
Underwood was still in Simpson’s yard at that point and
appeared to be walking away. As Simpson repeated, “Go manhunt,” again,
Underwood stopped, turned around and walked onto Simpson’s porch.
“You got something you want to say,” Underwood said as he
approached Simpson.
“Manhunt. Do your job,” said Simpson, who claims Underwood
was almost nose-to-nose with him at that point.
“Stay on the porch,” Underwood said. “I’ll tell you what,
step over here.”
The video then shook wildly and Underwood was heard telling
Simpson that he was under arrest.
Entered without Warrant
It is alleged that Underwood, Sprouse and Neal later learned
that Simpson had live-streamed the arrest. They then announced that a radio had
been lost during the arrest, returned to Simpson’s home and entered without a
warrant, arrested his mother for allegedly having taken the radio, took
Simpson’s cell phone and attempted to tamper with it.
An incident report, which wasn’t prepared until weeks after
the arrest, indicated Simpson had entered the road and cursed at officers,
which was not evident on the video he
streamed. Simpson spent parts of four days in jail for charges of public
disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Other inmates at the Chester County
Detention Center booked the same day or a day after on similar charges bonded
out in less than 24 hours.
Charges against Simpson and his mother were ultimately
dropped by S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson. Indictments for Underwood,
Sprouse and Neal in connection with the Simpson arrest ranged from creating a
false incident report, to violating Simpson’s rights and causing him bodily
injury, evidence tampering and lying to federal investigators.
Alleged Lies
The new indictment does shed some light on the alleged lies
Underwood told federal investigators. The indictment alleges Underwood told
special agents of the FBI that he first viewed the video Simpson live streamed
a week after the incident.
“In truth and fact, Underwood…then and there knew his
statements and representations denying such specifics were false, fictitious
and fraudulently made, in that he viewed the aforesaid video recording” on the
night of the incident.
Climate of Fear
The rest of the indictment deals with corruption charges
enumerated in a previous indictment. The charges stem from allegations that
Underwood, Sprouse and Neal used their positions as law enforcement officers to
intimidate others, took “family members on trips (while) charging the cost to
the sheriff’s office,” directed “payments for contracted security detail
services through a particular sheriff’s office bank account to avoid tax
payment,” used “sheriff’s office employees to conduct manual labor that
personally benefitted…Underwood while the employees were actively working for
the sheriff’s office” and “establishing a climate of fear within the sheriff’s
office to direct and secure obedience among subordinates.”
The indictment notes that upon conviction, the three men may
face a financial judgment “equal to the total value of the property subject to
forfeiture in the approximate value that each gained from the offenses of
conviction.”
Seeks Re-election
Though he is currently suspended from office, Underwood is
seeking re-election, running on the Democratic Party ticket for a third term in
the Chester County Sheriff’s Office. Should he defeat Dorsey (running as a
Republican), Underwood would not be able to be sworn in for a new term in
January. An order from S.C. Governor Henry McMaster states that Underwood
remains suspended from office until a new sheriff is elected or until
Underwood’s case is fully adjudicated. His federal case (he, Sprouse and Neal
also face state charges) is not scheduled to begin until February and has
already been delayed on multiple occasions. The superseding indictment
indicates that the case is now being handled by attorneys Rebecca Schuman and
William Miller, both of whom work in the U.S. Department of Justice Public
Integrity Division.
WINNSBORO
– Willie Mobley, Jr. was the driver in a single vehicle that crashed on Highway
213 in Fairfield County, according to Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill.
Mobley’s vehicle veered off the right side of the road, over
corrected, then struck a fence and a tree. He was not wearing a seatbelt and
was ejected from the vehicle, Hill state. Mobley and was pronounced deceased on
the scene.
The accident remains under investigation by the Fairfield
County Coroner’s Office and the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Blythewood track and field stars Paris Asmond, Peyton Heightower, Madison Ross and Olivia Taylor | Contributed
SATELLITE BEACH, FL – Four Richland School District Two students won a national title in Track and Field. Paris Asmond, Peyton Hightower, Madison Ross, and Olivia Taylor became the youngest group of females from South Carolina to win a National Championship for the 4×400 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) relay race.
Ross, a sixth-grader, and seventh-graders Asmond and Taylor
attend Blythewood Middle School. Hightower is a sixth-grader at Kelly Mill
Middle School. The group is a part of Team Blaze Track Club.
The 2019-2020 season marks the first year that this group
ran together as a relay team. Despite losing much of the season due to
Covid-19, Asmond, Hightower, Ross, and Taylor began training at home and in the
community.
On Friday, Aug. 8, the group traveled to Satellite Beach, Florida to compete in two events, the 4X100 meter relay and the 4X400 meter relay. They placed third in the 4X100 meter relay and placed first in the 4X400 meter relay, earning the distinctions of All-American and National Champion. Asmond, Hightower, Ross, and Taylor now hold the South Carolina record in both events for their age group.
