BLYTHEWOOD – Three Blythewood area farms will participate in Richland County’s inaugural AG + Art Tour, June 26-27.
The tour will feature not only working family-owned farms and their produce, but local artisans and musicians as well, many of whom will be performing at the various farms.
The tour features some of the beautiful farms and products that the Richland County rural area has to offer, according to tour officials.
Eleven farms throughout the county will be open for touring on Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 – 5 p.m. The tours are free.
Visitors can begin their self-guided tour at any of the farms. The day is meant to be leisurely and enjoyable, so it will probably not be possible to see all the farms in one day.
Bring a cooler with an ice pack and pick up some fresh veggies, let the kids enjoy a hay-ride and barnyard animals, watch artists at work, and enjoy a day in the country!
Food, drinks and treats will be available for purchase at many of the farms.
At the first site they tour, visitors can register and pick up a tour booklet that will serve as a guide to the various farms and their offerings.
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Sheriff Will Montgomery accepts award for his department being named Agency of the Year by the D.A.R.E. Association of South Carolina.
RICHLAND COUNTY – A Blythewood resident has been identified as one of two people killed in a crash on I-20 Saturday night, and a Kingstree man was arrested on Sunday and charged with two counts of felony DUI and denied bond.
Andrew Tad Reeser, 45, died when he was struck by a vehicle while he and another man were changing a tire in the emergency lane of I-20 eastbound at approximately 9:20 p.m., according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Brian Kinney Walker, 49, was also struck by the vehicle and was transported by Richland County EMS to Prisma Health Richland Memorial Hospital where he died at 10:41 p.m.
An autopsy indicated that the cause of death for both men was due to multiple blunt force Injuries to the body, according to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts. The incident occurred near mile marker 84, near Spears Creek Church Road.
A van and a Jeep were parked in the emergency lane as Reeser and Walker were changing a tire on the van, the report states. A third vehicle, driven by Cornelius Joseph Floyd, according officials, hit the back of the Jeep pushing it into the van which hit the two individuals, officials said.
Floyd, 28, was taken to a hospital to receive treatment and was arrested on Sunday.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office and the SC Highway Patrol are investigating the incident.
Blythewood man killed in crash
Published on: June 16, 2019
RICHLAND COUNTY – A Blythewood resident has been identified as one of two people killed in a crash on I-20 Saturday night.
Andrew Tad Reeser, 45, died when he was struck by a vehicle as he and another man were changing a tire in the emergency lane of I-20 eastbound at approximately 9:20 p.m.
Brian Kinney Walker, 49, was also struck by the vehicle and was transported by Richland County EMS to Prisma Health Richland Memorial Hospital where he died at 10:41 p.m.
An autopsy indicated that the cause of death for both men was due to multiple blunt force Injuries to the body, according to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts. The incident occurred near mile marker 84, near Spears Creek Church Road.
A van and a Jeep were parked in the emergency lane as two people were changing a tire on the van, the report states. A third vehicle hit the back of the Jeep pushing it into the van, which hit the two individuals, officials said.
The driver of the third vehicle was taken to a hospital to receive treatment. The driver’s condition is unknown at this time.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office and the SC Highway Patrol are investigating the incident.
WINNSBORO – Bertha Goins has until Friday to apologize.
That’s the day Jenkinsville Water Company lawyers set for the Fairfield County Councilwoman to apologize and retract her criticisms of Jenkinsville water quality.
Bertha Goins
If she refuses, the bubbling controversy is threatening to spill into the courtroom.
In a letter obtained by The Voice, attorneys for the JWC say Goins will face litigation if she doesn’t reverse course and keeps making “defamatory” statements about Jenksinville water.
The letter also demands that Goins publicly acknowledge that she has no evidence the water or piping are substandard. Lawyers gave her 10 days from the June 4 letter to comply or they said they would sue.
“The JWC has been very patient in refraining from taking legal action to stop her from telling lies, making unsubstantiated disparaging comments, and spreading misinformation about JWC and that patience has run out,” the letter states.
Goins isn’t backing down.
County attorney Tommy Morgan, who’s representing Goins in a private capacity, responded with a letter of his own that chides the JWC for threatening legal action.
“The mischaracterization of statements are being made by JWC against Ms. Goins as shown by its repeated, meritless legal demands,” Morgan wrote. “Ms. Goins will not be silenced by JWC’s threats of legal action and will not respond to the demands made in the June 4, 2019 [letter].”
Morgan said the JWC’s actions are fiscally irresponsible as well.
“Ms. Goins is saddened and troubled by the thought that JWC continues to use funds collected by its customers to continue its legal vendetta against her,” the letter continues. “It is hoped that JWC would turn its attention away from harassing its customers to more pressing needs such as ensuring it complies with all testing and reporting requirements under state and federal laws.”
In its June 4 letter, attorneys for the JWC suggest Goins has a chip on her shoulder because water company members voted her off the board, which lawyers state is why she criticizes the JWC.
“Since that time, Ms. Goins has consistently criticized the board members that took the other side of this issue, and JWC as a whole, in her efforts to retaliate,” the letter states.
The letter also calls Jenkinsville water “award winning.” Referencing a 2018 DHEC report, the letter says no water quality violations have been found again on JWC, and asserts that no contaminants above DHEC levels have been detected in seven years.
Morgan’s response cites a report that stated a different viewpoint.
“As JWC’s own 2018 Water Quality Report shows, ‘We failed to complete all the required testing of our drinking water for the contaminant and period indicated,’” Morgan’s letter states. “Devoting resources to such tasks would demonstrate JWC’s commitment to providing clean and safe drinking water to its customers.”
Publicly and through her attorney, Tommy Morgan, Goins has said that threats from the JWC and its lawyers are attempts to silence and intimidate her.
On April 10, in another letter, Morgan warned the JWC not to threaten his client for exercising her right to free speech.
“Ms. Goins will not be silenced by Jenkinsville Water Company’s threats of legal action and damages to be sought against her for merely speaking out about the water she receives from Jenkinsville Water Company,” Morgan’s letter states.
“Despite your meritless legal demand, Ms. Goins will continue to shed light on the matter that Jenkinsville Water Company seems so intent on keeping in the dark,” the letter continues.
BLYTHEWOOD – At least one suspect has been arrested in the aftermath of a string of thefts from mostly unlocked cars and the theft of two vehicles from a gated community in Blythewood last week.
Elijah Ameria Worthy, 18, was arrested on Friday, June 7, on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, larceny/breaking into a motor vehicle and two counts of financial transaction card theft that occurred in Cobblestone Park.
On Thursday, June 6, Richland County Deputies responded to multiple reports of vehicle tampering and two vehicle thefts in the neighborhood.
The suspect or suspects entered nine vehicles, which were left unlocked, and stole various property including handbags, wallets, electronics and tools, according to the incident report. Additionally, two vehicles which had spare keys inside were stolen. Both of those vehicles were later recovered in the 100 block of Mary Lawhorn Road.
Worthy was arrested the next day at his home on Marietta Street in Columbia where deputies found him in the driver’s seat of a vehicle that was reported stolen.
Worthy was in possession of two credit cards which had previously been stolen from two different vehicles in the Cobblestone and Lake Carolina communities, according to the incident report. He was linked to a vehicle break-in in the Blythewood area after a latent print was lifted from the vehicle and was confirmed through the RCSD’s Latent Print section as being Worthy’s.
It was reported that two of the thefts were from vehicles at Blythewood Mayor J. Michael Ross’s home. Another resident, Ed Parler, the town’s Director of Economic Development, said that while his vehicles were spared, his neighbor’s Cadillac Escalade was stolen as well as another one down the street.
“After the shock of it, I think it was a wake-up call for us to be more cautious,” Parler said.
Worthy is being held in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia.
Planning Commissioners recommend allowing sandwich board signs in town.
BLYTHEWOOD – The prohibition of sandwich board signs in the town has long been the bane of many shop owners in Blythewood. Those days may be over if a recommendation made to Town Council last week by the Planning Commission comes to fruition.
At the June 3 Planning Commission meeting, Town Administrator Brian Cook proposed an amendment to the current sign ordinance for options that would allow all the town’s businesses to advertise with sandwich boards so long as the signs meet certain size requirements and are set up and taken down at specified times.
The signs can be any A-frame sign consisting of two boards hinged at the top hanging back to back.
Sandwich board sign regulations were added under a section for exempt signs. One sandwich board sign can be permitted to an onsite commercial owner/operator only during the hours when the establishment is open. The sign can be no larger than three feet tall and two feet wide, with a maximum of two sign faces.
Town’s PC recommends prohibiting feather flags.
Cook said the town can remove any sign that causes interference with vehicular or pedestrian traffic, or in the event of any emergency situation, or that interferes with any work that is to be performed on the public sidewalk and/or right-of-way by or on behalf of the town.
In all instances, the amendment specifies that the sign shall be placed on the business’ lot, at least five feet outside of right of way, shall be constructed of a material and weight to ensure general stability and shall not block visibility.
While sandwich signs are currently prohibited, many businesses such as Bloomin’ Bean Coffee Bar and others have set them out for the last few years with little interference from Town Hall.
That’s not to say that a business can stake out other types of signs in front of the business.
Cook clarified that feather flags, which have been popping up around town the last couple of years, are prohibited under the amendment.
Other prohibited signs, according to the proposed ordinance, include “any sign (other than a government sign), banner, feather flag, festoon, or display placed on any curb, sidewalk (except where otherwise permitted in this subchapter), post, pole, hydrant, bridge, tree or other surface located on, over or across any public street or right-of-way, or any banner, placed on stakes on a property, unless a permitted temporary or grand opening banner, otherwise permitted.
The proposed sign amendment was approved unanimously and will now move to Town Council for the first of two votes on June. 24 at The Manor.
WINNSBORO – In what was described in a sheriff’s report as a riot at Cambio Academy in Greenbrier last week, seven teenage girls were arrested.
After receiving a call from the Academy shortly before 6:30 a.m., Sunday morning, that 20 teenage girls were assaulting a staff member, Fairfield County Sheriff’s deputies, assisted by the S.C. Highway Patrol, arrived at the facility to find about 15 girls in the side yard of the facility surrounding the victim who was standing in front of one of the assailants, according to sheriff’s deputies.
As the officers tried to clear the area and escort the girls back inside the building, the incident report states that the teenagers continued to fight and yell. After several attempts to return the group to their rooms, officers reported that two of the girls pushed past the officers and were detained.
EMS transported two of the offenders to Providence Emergency Room in Winnsboro and then to FCDC. Five other offenders were arrested and transported to DJJ in Columbia.
There was no information about the condition of the victim.
All seven girls were charged with disorderly conduct.
Cambio Academy is a residential treatment center on Greenbrier-Mossy Dale Road for troubled teens ages 13 – 18.
BLYTHEWOOD – The Town of Blythewood will host its fifth annual July Fireworks bash with music, food and a park full of fireworks fans from Blythewood, Fairfield and beyond.
The Fireworks, Food and Music event will happen Wednesday, July 3 and will feature about 25 food vendors, five on-stage music groups and a full half hour of fireworks that will light up the sky over Doko Meadows Park.
The festivities start at 5 p.m. and end with a fireworks show at 9:30 p,m. Featured artists include Eboni Ramm, Blues Deluxe, A.J. Sanders and the DB Bryant Band. This year, there will be an after-fireworks performance featuring local musicians Ramblin’ Road from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Food and drink vendors will include Doko Smoke BBQ, McNulty’s Taproom, Papa John’s Pizza, Scotties, The Haute Dog Lady, Sweet Peas Ice Cream, The Donut Guy, Bessie’s Sweet Delights, Brain Freeze, Kona Ice, Fishin’ Fellas, Randolph Italian Ice and others. Beer sales will be available. No coolers please.
The event is free. Bring lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on and show up with the kids for Blythewood’s big night of the year.
WINNSBORO – It took multiple attempts for some recently appointed Fairfield and Chester county magistrate appointees to pass two basic skills exams required by state law, and one appointee couldn’t pass the tests at all.
Katina Capers-Washington and Vanessa Hollins, both appointed to magistrate posts on May 21, passed on the first attempt, an agency spokeswoman said.
Two other Fairfield magistrates, Jannita Gaston and Danielle Miller, also appointed on May 21, have taken the two exams on multiple dates, according to S.C. Court Administration.
At least one of the Fairfield appointees still has not passed the exams, a source with knowledge of the exams said.
Two Chester County magistrates also took the exams multiple times. The other two passed on the first try.
State law requires magistrate candidates to pass the Wonderlich Personnel Test and the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal II before they can be appointed.
The exams are designed to test rudimentary skills, Bob McCurdy, assistant director of Court Administration, said in a 2018 memo.
“Successful examinees will need at least a sixth grade reading level, knowledge of basic mathematics, how to tell time, days of the week and months of the year, and a basic knowledge of U.S. monetary units and the U.S. Customary System of weights and measures,” the memo said.
A Court Administration representative wouldn’t disclose how the candidates scored, nor would she verify if any candidate failed to pass.
“This information is confidential,” agency spokeswoman Ginny Jones said. “If you would like to request it, you will need to file a motion with the Supreme Court.”
Jay Bender, an attorney with the S.C. Press Association, of which The Voice is a member, said it’s critical for the public to know whether or not magistrate candidates have passed the required exams.
“It’s a serious problem if we put people on who are not qualified,” Bender said.
Testy Situations
The testing revelations raise new questions about whether all the Fairfield and Chester candidates are truly qualified to serve. They also cast doubt on whether the nomination process was as transparent as previously advertised and whether it complied with state law.
According to S.C. statute 22-2-5, magistrate candidates must pass the two exams prior to being appointed.
“A senatorial delegation must use the results of these eligibility examinations to assist in its selection of nominees,” the statute reads. “No person is eligible to be appointed as a magistrate unless he receives a passing score on the eligibility examination.”
Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Great Falls, announced the appointment of the four Fairfield candidates via Facebook on May 21.
“Earlier today, these outstanding four individuals were officially appointed and will begin their 4-year service on Wednesday, May 22, 2019,” Fanning posted.
However, as of May 22, none of the four nominees had even taken the required exams, let alone passed them.
Capers-Washington was first to be tested. She passed on her first try on May 23. Hollins came next, also passing the test on the first try on May 28.
Miller didn’t take the tests until May 30. She took the exams again on June 7.
Gaston wasn’t tested until June 4, and took the exams again on June 10.
Other Requirements
In addition to passing the exams, candidates for appointment must also hold a bachelor’s degree. If magistrates aren’t lawyers, they must observe 10 magistrate court trials before they are allowed to hear cases.
More magistrate troubles
To help appoint magistrates, Fanning created screening committees in Fairfield and Chester counties, tasking them with conducting interviews and making nominations for magistrate appointees.
Three Chester County representatives – Dwayne Robinson (a Chester County deputy sheriff), Calvin Gore (also a Chester County Sheriff’s employee and former magistrate), and Angel Underwood (current Chester County chief magistrate and wife of former Chester County Sheriff Alex Underwood) – comprised the list of the selection committee for Fairfield magistrate applicants according to documents provided by Fanning’s office in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from The Voice.
Two names, however, were missing from that list – Alex Underwood and Fanning, himself. At least one magistrate candidate said the selection committee that interviewed her included Alex underwood and Fanning along with Angel Underwood and Gore.
Alex Underwood, 55, is one of three Chester County law enforcement officials indicted in an unlawful arrest and excessive use of force case filed on May 7.
Charges were filed after the FBI raided the Chester County Sheriff’s Office in late April.
It was not immediately clear why Alex Underwood’s and Fanning’s names were not included in documents that Fanning’s office provided to The Voice.
Attempts to reach Fanning by phone were unsuccessful. An email seeking comment was not immediately returned.
On April 28, in a Facebook post appearing after the raid but before the indictments, Fanning, who lives in Great Falls and represents all of Fairfield and Chester counties, urged people not to rush to judgment.
Fanning also threw his support behind Underwood.
“Our Chester County Sheriff has gone above and beyond what is required of him as a law enforcement professional,” the post states.
“Let us not allow this to lead us to forget his many accomplishments, achievements, and his genuine love and decades of service to Chester County,” Fanning continued. “This is the time to stand behind the man who would lay down his life for us all.”
If convicted on all counts, Underwood faces more than 50 years in prison. Underwood has pleaded not guilty, according to court records.
Underwood in the room
Weeks before his arrest, Underwood participated in at least some magistrate interviews, according to Mattie Stewart Smith, one of several candidates the screening committee interviewed.
Mattie Smith
Speaking with The Voice on Monday, Smith went into greater detail about Alex Underwood’s involvement, including the kinds of questions she says he asked.
Smith said one of Underwood’s questions centered on her availability to sign warrants, regardless of the time.
“He was explaining that law enforcement individuals have to come and get warrants signed,” she said. “He said ‘would you be willing to have them come to your house to get them signed?’”
“I said, ‘yes, I don’t have a problem with that,’” Smith recalled. “He said, ‘oh that’s good because it is a problem sometimes.’”
Smith also recalls Underwood asking her if she had any issues working a four-day workweek. She said she didn’t.
“I did not have a problem with that. I explained to them that basically I was retired, that my time is my time,” Smith said.
Smith said she’s certain Underwood was present for the interviews, despite a recent media report that cited an anonymous source disputing Smith’s account.
She said he remained for the entire interview, which was conducted in executive session. Smith remembers Underwood stating he helped provide security a few years ago during her 30th wedding anniversary vows renewal.
“He said ‘Your food was good and the ceremony was really nice,’” Smith said.
Smith added that this was her second attempt seeking a Fairfield magistrate post, and that it’s unlikely she’ll try again, noting the process has become too political.
“Looking back, it soured me to the whole process. I’ve worked for government for 36 years and I’ve always done my job, I’ve never played politics,” she said. “I just feel that there are a lot agendas here that I’m not aware of. I’m not interested in anything here because I don’t like the maneuvering.”
Record of legal challenges
Although Alex Underwood was indicted after magistrate interviews occurred, the pending case is the latest in a long line of legal challenges the sheriff’s department has faced under Underwood’s leadership, according to judicial records.
Since 2014, Underwood has been listed as a defendant or codefendant in eight federal lawsuits. Additional lawsuits have been filed and adjudicated in state court, according to court records.
Some cases were filed by private citizens, which like the pending criminal case against Underwood, allege unnecessary use of force or failure to follow protocol.
COLUMBIA – Delays being experienced on Killian Road in the area of I-77 will last approximately six weeks according to SCDOT officials. SCDOT began a construction project to repair the bridge over I-77 on Monday evening.
The project will be done in two phases, each lasting about three weeks, according to an announcement by SCDOT. The right lane of westbound Killian Road will be closed first, starting at Killian Crossing and ending beyond the overpass of I-77. Upon completion of the right lane of the bridge, traffic will be shifted onto the new lane and the left lane will then be closed to traffic to continue the final stage of the bridge deck repairs.
The entire project is estimated to take approximately 6 weeks, barring delays due to weather or other circumstances. Work will be done around the clock to lessen the impact to motorists as much as possible, officials said.
SCDOT warned that traffic in the area is very busy and could cause significant traffic and delays. Officials encouraged motorists to avoid the area by taking alternate routes if possible during construction.
Officials say crews will work around the clock. SCDOT crews ask that motorists please drive with caution in the construction area.
The project is part of SCDOT’s 10-year plan to improve what it calls structurally deficient bridges throughout South Carolina.
All on-ramps and off-ramps to I-77 at this interchange will remain open during construction.
