BLYTHEWOOD – Four members of the Blythewood town council will hold a press conference outside Doko Manor at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 28, according to an email sent out Friday afternoon to area media outlets by Mayor Pro Tem Donald Brock.
The purpose of the press conference, according to Brock, is to alert the public to a proposed ordinance that calls for a change in the form of the local government.
That ordinance will be discussed and voted on during the regular monthly town council meeting that immediately follows at 6 p.m.
Brock and Councilmembers Rich McKenrick, Andrea Fripp, and Erica Page will be conducting the press conference. The Voice was unable to reach Mayor Sloan Griffin for comment. There has been no public announcement from Griffin as to whether he will be attending the press conference.
The Town of Blythewood currently governs under a Mayor-Council form of government and the proposed ordinance will ask the citizens to consider a change to the Council-Manager form of government.
The Doko Manor is located at 100 Alvina Hagood Circle, Blythewood, SC 29016.
BLYTHEWOOD – As part of the construction of the new Exit 26 interchange on I-77 and connecting roads project in Blythewood, SCDOT (South Carolina Department of Transportation) will be closing and detouring a portion of Community Road beginning the morning of May 5, 2025. The closure will remain in place until March 31, 2026.
The closed area will be between north of Northpoint Blvd and
south of the public storage business located at 860 Community Rd.
Access to all businesses along Community Road will be
maintained as the businesses are not located within the closure area. The
closure will provide access for crews to construct new roadways, bridges,
retaining walls, and other structures as part of the overall interchange
project.
Changeable message boards have been deployed along Community
Road alerting motorists of the upcoming detour schedule. Signs will be
installed along the detour route to provide directions on how motorists can
navigate to the north or south end of Community Road.
RIDGEWAY – This year’s Arts on the Ridge on May 2, is more
than a one-day festival. It will be joined by a new, one-day event in downtown
Ridgeway – Museum Day on May 3.
Arts on the Ridge kicks off with tours of the town, shopping
at Ridgeway’s great shops, dining all day and Art Night at the town’s new
museum that evening from 6-8 p.m.
The artsy evening will feature visual artists and their
paintings of ‘The Essence of Ridgeway,” art viewing and sales, and a reception
with music by Sherri Cafaro and Friends band.
This next day, museum lovers will want to follow the train
tracks and museum trail from Blythewood (Blythewood Historical Museum, 100
McNulty St.) to Ridgeway (the Isaac Thomas Historical Museum), then on to
Winnsboro for an adventurous journey into history (the Fairfield County Museum
at 231 S. Congress Street, and the SC Railroad Museum at 110 Industrial Park
Road).
In Ridgeway, the Isaac C. Thomas Historical Museum, located at 130 E. Church Street and Museum Alley will feature museum tours from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Featured events at the Ridgeway museum will include storytelling from 10 – 11 a.m. and again at 2 – 3 p.m.; Tom Poland, southern writer book signing and sales from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.; and Nancy Owens’ guitar performance from 1 – 2 p.m.
BLYTHEWOOD – Two more arrests have been made in relation to the shooting that occurred in downtown Blythewood on April 5, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s office.
Sadrien Devoe, 18, was arrested on Tuesday, April 22. After
executing a search warrant for Devoe’s vehicle, which had been identified as a
suspect vehicle in the shooting, RCSD investigators arrested him. He is charged
with Breach of Peace of a High and Aggravated Nature in connection to the
shooting and Simple Possession of Marijuana in connection to the search. Devoe
was transported to Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center where he is still detained.
Tyreek Shealy, 19 was arrested on Wednesday, April 23 at his
residence. He is charged with Breach of Peace of a High and Aggravated Nature.
Shealy was transported to Alvin S. Glenn
Richland County has now arrested a total of five suspects in the shooting.
Nelson
Birch
Suber
On April 17, 2025, RCSD’s Fugitive Task Force arrested Jamari Nelson, 23, at his residence. At the
time of the arrest, investigators located two firearms, one of which is
connected to an open investigation out of another agency. Nelson was
transported to Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. He is charged with Assault and
Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature and Possession of a Weapon during a
Violent Crime.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott held a press conference on
April 11 to announce the arrests of the first two suspects and to give insight
into what happened that night when hundreds of teens swarmed the town.
Darrell Birch, 18, and Nahjere Suber, 18, were charged with
Breach of Peace of a High and Aggravated Nature by RCSD’s Fugitive Task Force
and Special Response Team.
Lott blamed some of the recent teen disturbances on ‘pop-up
parties’ that he said often involve the use of drugs and alcohol, and can get
out of control quickly.
“We do what we can, but these are instantaneous,” he said.
He said it’s squarely the responsibility of parents to “keep
these kids’ butts where they need to be, instead of running around with a gun
at two in the morning.”
Lott said the community is “sick and tired” of the violence.
“We’ve got to change the minds and hearts of these kids,” he
said.
In the statement released by the Sheriff’s department since
the press conference, Lott thanked the parents and their children who have come
forward with information. Several tips were received and investigators were
able to identify the suspects connected to the black Maserati that Lott
discussed in his April 11 briefing.
BLYTHEWOOD – Three arrests have been made following the teen shootout in Blythewood on April 5. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott held a press conference on April 11 to announce two of the arrests and to give insight into what happened that night when hundreds of teens swarmed the town. A third arrest was made on Thursday, April 17.
“These kids turned Blythewood into a war zone,” Lott said in the press conference on April 11. “It’s only by the grace of God I’m not standing here talking about 20 or 30 kids killed.”
He said the two males arrested were 18-year-old high school
students, though the Sheriff’s public information office would not release
information to The Voice about where the two were from or which high school
they attended.
Darrell Birch, 18, and Nahjere Suber, 18, were arrested and
charged with Breach of Peace of a High and Aggravated Nature by RCSD’s Fugitive
Task Force and Special Response Team.
“There were kids from Columbia, Camden, Cayce, Blythewood,”
he said. “Two hundred of them. We’re going to continue making arrests until
everybody that’s responsible is caught.”
Lott said one of teens caught on video was wearing an ankle
monitor and was recognized as being out on bond for murder. He also said some
of the guns that have been recovered were stolen.
“Over 60 rounds were fired,” Lott said. “This is something
you would expect to hear in Iraq or Afghanistan during a war. But this was in
Blythewood.”
The Exxon convenience store’s video showed a large group of
male and female teens in the store’s parking lot and that at least four of them
were brandishing hand guns.
The morning after the shooting, The Voice photographed a
bullet hole in a front window of the Exxon convenience store. Other businesses
were also damaged by bullets.
Deputies located a female in a vehicle in the IGA parking
lot with a bullet wound to her leg.
Lott blamed some of the recent teen disturbances on ‘pop-up
parties’ that he said often involve the use of drugs and alcohol, and can get
out of control quickly.
“We do what we can, but these are instantaneous,” he
said.
He said it’s squarely the responsibility of parents to “keep
these kids’ butts where they need to be, instead of running around with a gun
at two in the morning.”
Addressing the parents of those involved, Lott told them to
contact the police if they know their child was involved.
“If you don’t, then at 4 o’clock in the morning, you’re
going to get a knock on your door, and somebody’s going to jail.”
He specifically called out the owner of a black Maserati
that was at the scene.
“That parent and that kid who was driving that car need to
come in, because we’re going to find you, too. It’s just a matter of time,”
Lott said.
He said the community is “sick and tired” of the violence.
“We’ve got to change the minds and hearts of these kids,” he said.
Sheriff Makes Third Arrest
Nelson
A third arrest has been made in relation to the shooting that occurred in downtown Blythewood on April 5, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s office.
On April 17, 2025, RCSD’s Fugitive Task Force arrested Jamari Nelson, 23, at his residence. At the time of the arrest, investigators located two firearms, one of which is connected to an open investigation out of another agency. Nelson was transported to Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. He is charged with Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature and Possession of a Weapon during a Violent Crime.
In the statement released by the Sheriff’s department, the Sheriff thanked the parents and their children who have come forward with information. As a result, we have received several tips and investigators were able to identify the suspects connected to the black Maserati that Sheriff Lott discussed in his News Conference on April 11.
The investigation is still ongoing and there may be additional arrests.
COLUMBIA – The Real ID deadline of May 7 is now only three weeks away so South Carolinians, especially those with summer travel plans that include domestic flights, need to act soon to prevent delays or other travel issues if they are not already prepared.
May 7 is the U.S. government’s Real ID implementation date,
meaning travelers will be required to present a driver’s license or ID card
that includes the Real ID gold star any time they want to board an airplane or
enter a federal building or military installation.
“We expect to be very busy in the coming month as those with
summer travel plans try to get ready,” said Kevin Shwedo, executive director of
the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles in Blythewood. “People will
need to come with some patience as we take care of everyone we can around the
deadline,” Shwedo said.
While about 62 percent of driver’s licenses and
identification cards issued by the SCDMV are Real ID compliant, that still
leaves over one million Palmetto State residents who do not possess a compliant
state card.
South Carolina has been offering Real ID licenses and ID
cards since 2018.
Anyone planning to fly domestically or to visit a military
base or federal building on May 7 or later needs to ensure that they have a
plan for displaying a federally recognized ID card.
Instead of a Real ID, you may use other identification, as
the Transportation Security Administration explains on its website, such as a
valid U.S. passport or an active-duty Department of Defense ID.
Customers who want to obtain a Real ID should visit the
agency’s website at SCDMVonline.com to check wait times at local offices and
for a checklist of documents needed to get a Real ID driver’s license or ID
card.
A Real ID-compliant credential is not legally required to
drive or vote; it is only required if you want to use your state-issued license
or ID to board a domestic flight, enter a military base, or access a federal
building.
A Real ID driver’s license is $25, valid for a maximum of
eight years, and is a new license – it’s not an additional card. Original ID
cards and renewals are free for those who are 17 years old or older. ID cards
are $15 for those who are ages five to 16.
The public can learn more by consulting the Real ID information
page at the SCDMV’s website and using the “Sweet Caroline” guide to the needed
documents.
For more information, contact Mike Fitts, public information
officer at DMVCommunications@scdmv.net
If you haven’t filed your 2024 South Carolina Individual
Income Tax return, don’t stress about it. Remember – due to relief granted in
the wake of Hurricane Helene, the deadline for South Carolina filers is May 1,
not the usual April 15 deadline.
Some quick reminders:
If you are required to file a return in another state, check to see when that state’s deadline is.
Two other South Carolina deadlines were also postponed until May 1:
2023 Individual Income Tax returns for taxpayers with a valid extension, originally due October 15, 2024.
2025 estimated payments, originally due April 15, 2025.
Here are some general filing tips:
Choose the electronic filing method that is right for you.
If you owe a balance after filing, pay your balance at dor.sc.gov/pay.
If you’re expecting a refund, remember – processing your return and issuing your refund takes up to 8 weeks.
Direct deposit is the fastest, safest way to receive your refund.
Check refund status at dor.sc.gov/refund.
If you hire a tax professional, make sure you ask the right questions before handing over sensitive information.
If you don’t think you’ll be ready to file by May 1, you may consider requesting an extension.
If you have moved since filing your last return, update your
address with the SCDOR:
Not updating your address may cause a delay in processing while we attempt to verify your information.
When filing online, you should be asked if your address has changed since the last time you filed.
If your online provider does not ask you if your address has changed, and you have a MyDORWAY account, update your address by logging in, selecting the More tab, then clicking Manage Names & Addresses.
If you don’t have a MyDORWAY account, use the SC8822I.
If filing a paper return, check the new address box on the SC1040, and include your current address.
RIDGEWAY – The Fairfield Joint Water & Sewer System Commission held a groundbreaking ceremony last month for the Winnsboro Connector Line Project.
The total investment for the project will be $19 million – $10 million from a Rural Infrastructure Authority grant and the remaining $9 million funded by Fairfield County from the Dominion settlement.
The project will allow access to the remaining capacity of the Winnsboro wastewater treatment plant (500,000 gpd) for the Fairfield Commerce Center and the Peach Road corridor.
BLYTHEWOOD – Norfolk Southern and the SC Department of Transportation will close a section of Wilson Blvd/U.S. Hwy 21 for 36 hours on Thursday, April 17 through Friday, April 18 to move long pieces of rail and materials across the highway.
The closed section will be on either side of the entrance to
Boomer Road (between Rimer Pond Rd. and Farrow Rd.).
Detour and road closure signs will be placed prior to road closure. The first closure occurred on April 13.
Surveillance video from the parking lot of Waffle House on Blythewood Rd. shows teens running from the gunfire.
Surveillance Footage Shows Teens Running When Shots Fired
BLYTHEWOOD – After what appeared to be a shootout between
two groups of male teenagers in a parking lot on McNulty Road about 1:30 a.m.
Sunday, an eyewitness who was sitting in his car nearby reading his texts told
The Voice what he saw.
“I heard as many as 15-20 handgun shots,” the witness
stated. “I looked up and saw a big bunch of teenagers in the parking lot of the
shopping center on McNulty Road. Then they broke up – some ran over behind the
dumpsters in the parking lot of Comfort Inn – where I was – and then the two
groups began firing another 10-15 shots toward each other,” he said.
“I could see kids running at the Waffle House,” the witness
said.
A video posted by the Richland County Sheriff’s office shows a large group of teens outside the Waffle House that appears to have been taken at the same time the shots were fired at the McNulty shopping center behind the Waffle House. A group of teens – male and female – can be seen scattering when the first shots are fired in the distance. Some run toward the Exxon Sharpe Shoppe 24-hour convenience store where a person associated with the store reported that employees quickly locked door to the store.
The convenience store source also said the store’s video
shows a large group of male and female teens in the store’s parking lot and
that at least four of them were brandishing hand guns.
Gunshot hole in the front window of the Sharpe Shoppe convenience store.
The following morning, The Voice photographed a bullet hole
in a front window of the Exxon Sharpe Shoppe convenience store.
According to the witness, Richland County Sheriff’s deputies
arrived within minutes of the gun shots being fired.
“When they arrived, the kids scattered,” the witness said.
Female Wounded
Deputies reported finding several bullet holes in buildings
and received information from dispatch that a female with a gunshot wound was
in the IGA parking lot. According to the incident report, deputies found the
victim in the passenger seat of a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the leg, and
an uninjured male in the driver’s seat.
The Richland County EMS arrived and transported the victim
to the hospital.
According to the witness in the Comfort Inn parking lot,
Blythewood Road and other nearby streets in the town were largely cordoned off
for several hours.
Teen Pop-up Parties Plague Town
There have been a series of disruptions involving an arrest,
injuries, and guns by large groups of teens roaming through downtown or park
events since last summer.
During the Town’s Rockin’ Red White and Blue fireworks celebration on July 3, 2024, at Doko Meadows Park, a teen was arrested and charged with Aggravated Breach of Peace after shooting a splat gun in the park’s playground area. A Roman candle and other fireworks unrelated to the event were shot into the crowd which was reported by Town Hall to be as large as 13,000 people.
Though not initially acknowledged by Town Hall, a young girl
was injured – from some reports, by the splat guns and from other reports, by
the Roman candle – and had to be transported to a local hospital by an
ambulance.
After weeks of The Voice unsuccessfully submitting Freedom
of Information requests and making phone calls regarding these incidents, a
spokesperson for Richland County responded with verification that an injured
person was transported from Doko Park by Richland County EMS.
Following the July 3 teen melee at the park, Mayor Sloan
Griffin released the following statement:
“In response to this incident, the Town of Blythewood is implementing
several enhanced security measures to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all
our residents and visitors at future events, including: perimeter fencing, a
clear bag policy, increased law enforcement, youth admission policy, and
congregate restrictions.”
However, none of these policies were instituted prior to March 15, 2025, when a large crowd of teens converged on the Town’s Movies in the Park event. When the first of several fights broke out at the movie event, law enforcement was called and subsequently shut down the movie after other fights broke out.
In response to The Voice’s request for an incident report,
the Richland County PIO (public information officer) stated that there was no
fight in progress when RCSD deputies arrived.
“Currently, we have no report because we have no victim.”
Since last summer there have been other reports of large
groups of teens roaming through town.
When an estimated 100-200 teens swarmed downtown Blythewood
Saturday, Nov. 17, law enforcement was called by several Blythewood businesses.
Posts began showing up on Facebook late that night.
Darren Craig posted: “What’s going on in Blythewood? Stopped
by the BP and the cops pulled up and made everybody leave, asking if we were
with some kids. The cops are at the Waffle House now.”
“Just saw the same thing …8 cop cars out there,” Hailey
Gardner posted.
The incident was also featured on “On Patrol: Live.”
In response to The Voice’s request for a report for that incident, a PIO with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department responded, that the department had not issued an incident report.
