Richland County Sheriff’s department announced the arrest of Elizabeth Gati, 48, charged with grand larceny after allegedly stealing approximately $40,000 worth of jewelry and electronics from a residence on Alumni Lane in Blythewood. Gati was taken into custody on Wednesday, June 7, 2017.
On Monday, June 5, 2017, Richland County Sheriff’s Department deputies were notified of a theft that occurred at a residence on Alumni Lane. A diamond necklace, diamond bracelet and several Bluetooth headphones were stolen from the victim’s bedroom. RCSD investigators reported that Gati stole the items while cleaning the victim’s home. Gati is self-employed with TLC Cleaning, and cleans houses throughout the Midlands.
Investigators are currently looking into additional thefts that may have occurred. Additional charges may be forthcoming. Gati was transported to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
Charged with a felony for torturing a cat over several days’ time and then killing it, Christopher Pauley, 18, of Ridgeway, faced 180 days to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine upon conviction. He was also charged with witness intimidation in connection with the torture charge. The intimidation charge, also a felony, carried a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and/or up to a $10,000 fine upon conviction.
But Pauley was not convicted. In fact, he never went to trial.
Instead, Sixth Circuit Assistant Solicitor Croom Hunter allowed Pauley to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges under the Youthful Offender Act when he appeared before Sixth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Brian Gibbons on June 1. The first of those reduced charges, Ill treatment of animals, A (SC Code 47-1-40), also carries a reduced penalty – a maximum of 90 days in prison or a fine of $100 to $1,000. The other reduced charge – assault and battery, second degree (SC Code 16-9-340) instead of witness intimidation – carries up to three years in prison upon conviction and/or a fine of up to $2,500.
Gibbons said he couldn’t believe what he was hearing when he presided over Pauley’s bond hearing earlier this spring. He gave Pauley a suspended three-year sentence with three years’ probation to cover both charges. Because Pauley had already served a combined 142 days on both charges before being released on bail, he was neither jailed nor fined.
During the sentencing phase of the plea, Gibbons said he wanted Pauley to finish his GED, cooperate with substance abuse counseling and undergo drug and alcohol testing and mental health testing as necessary. Gibbons also restricted Pauley from owning an animal during his probation.
The case unfolded on Dec. 23, 2016 when a witness contacted the Fairfield County Sheriff’s office in reference to the mistreatment of a cat, Hunter said. The witness said Pauley had told her that he likes to torture and kill animals and that he recently ‘worked’ on a black cat, Hunter said. The witness stated that Pauley told her that over the course of several days, he had beat the cat, set it on fire and hung it from a tree, Hunter said, adding that the witness said she accompanied Pauley to the back yard of his residence where he cut down a garbage bag from a tree and that the bag had the cat’s body in it.
An officer responded, searched Pauley’s backyard and found items the witness had described as Pauley’s ‘tools,’ verifying the witness’s statement, according to the responding officer’s incident report.
“To be accurate, the officer found a black trash bag with maggots and fur inside. She also found a lighter and an ax with fur on the blade,” Hunter told the Court. “The dead cat was sent for a necropsy which was inclusive as to whether the cat was dead before all this happened to it. It’s been Mr. Pauley’s position that the cat was already dead.”
Pauley was arrested on Dec. 24, 2016. Bond was set at $5,000 and Pauley remained in jail until March 8, 2017, when he appeared for a preliminary hearing on the ill treatment charge.
“It was then that Mr. Pauley learned the name of the primary witness,” Hunter told the Court. “He rode his bicycle up to the Dollar General in Ridgeway where the witness was shopping.”
The witness stated that an altercation ensued and that Pauley approached her angrily, grabbing her arms at one point. Pauley was arrested two days later on the witness intimidation charge and jailed at the Fairfield County Detention Center under a $20,000 bond that was later reduced to $10,000. He remained jailed until his June 1 Court appearance.
“He was a 17-year-old kid who did something stupid,” Public Defender William Frick told the Court in Pauley’s defense. “He (Pauley) is not the person he has portrayed himself to be with these acts.”
However, the responding officer reported that Pauley’s parents, who were cooperative in the investigation, said Pauley, “has been having an issue with taking out aggression on animals since he was a young child.”
The report also states that the witness said Pauley confided in her that he had been taking animals from the area near his residence into the woods behind his residence, torturing and killing them.
“We maintain the position and have witnesses that the cat was deceased before Mr. Pauley had anything to do with it,” Frick told the Court. He did not, however, produce those witnesses.
Gibbons allowed, a representative of Hoof and Paw Benevolent Society to address the Court on behalf of the victims which, she said, included both the animals and the citizens in the community. She called for more arrests, tougher charges and tougher sentencing for animal abuse.
“Light charges prompt light sentencing, offering the opportunity to repeat these crimes,” the representative told the Court. She asked Gibbons to sentence Pauley to the fullest extent of the law to help end animal abuse, cruelty and torture.
“I agree,” Gibbons responded to the comments.
“I am truly worried about you,” Gibbons said, addressing Pauley. “I hope I’m not looking at the next Jeffrey Dahmer. I’ve read your evaluation. I’ve listened to this case, and I truly hope my gut feeling is wrong, I hope that for your sake.”
The Town of Blythewood’s new website was officially launched on Wednesday. While the site is new, the web address is the same – www.townofblythewoodsc.gov. The site’s theme is, A Small Town Renaissance, and the pages have information for residents and visitors and offers guidance to the everything from the government’s meetings and documents to business forms and recreation. There are links to the library and other sites as well as a way to report concerns.
WINNSBORO – A dog who had to be euthanized by a veterinarian in January after it was chained to a porch and starved to the point of death by its owner, had her day in court on Monday. However, the focus of the court proceedings was not on the dog or what happened to her but on concern for the perpetrator of the crime, Katera Alexander, 28, of Winnsboro.
“When she was arrested and went to the bond hearing, she was scared not only by the process, but scared in general,” Public Defender Bob Fitzsimmons told 7th Circuit Court Judge Grace Knie, referring to Alexander. While Alexander did not exhibit fear in the courtroom on Monday, Fitzsimmons told the judge, “She’s still frightened and scared now. I’ve assured her that the Dog abuser gets 25 hours No Expression of Remorse from Defendent court will treat her fairly and will be merciful,” Fitzsimmons said. And it was.
Charged with Ill Treatment of Animals, S.C. Code Section 47140 A – a non-violent misdemeanor, Alexander, could have been sentenced to up to 90 days in jail and a $100 – $1000 fine for her guilty plea. Instead, Knie handed Alexander a 90-day suspended sentence with a 90-day probation period and no fine.
“Special conditions of the probation are that she will have no ownership of animals and will serve 25 hours of community service,” Judge Knie said. According to 6th , the sentence does not prohibit Alexander from again owning a dog or another animal once the 90 probation has been served.
The judge specified that Alexander would not have to work out her community service at a dog shelter, but could spend the 25 hours working in a Good Samaritan House or food bank.
Neither the dog nor the crime was mentioned during the proceedings by the judge, Alexander or her public defender, Bob Fitzsimmons. There was no offer of remorse by the defendant or her attorney. The only reference to the dog at all was by Assistant Solicitor Riley Maxwell when he read the charge and summarized the arresting officer’s incident report at the beginning of the proceedings. No comments were made nor questions asked by the attorneys or the judge regarding the dog or the circumstances surrounding its mistreatment.
While the judge allowed Kathy Faulk, a board member of the Hoof & Paw Benevolent Society to address the court on behalf of the euthanized dog, she asked Faulk to limit to comments to 5 minutes, stating that, “technically, you were not a victim in this.”
“This dog, chained to a porch, possibly her entire life, was neglected and suffered needlessly while its owner allowed it to starve,” Faulk told the Court during her comments. “Starvation does not happen overnight and is a cruel, painful, slow death. Ms. Alexander had the option of relinquishing this dog to animal control at any time and chose not to.”
Faulk asked the Court to levy a sentence that would prohibit Alexander from owning animals in the future and that “reflects the egregious nature of the abuse suffered by this dog at the hands of its owner.”
Alexander’s attorney urged the Court to consider that his client is a single mother of two children – a daughter, 8, and a son, 10. He asked the judge to spare his client a jail sentence and probation, asking instead that she be given a fine that she could pay out over 90 days.
“She is working and could pay it off in 90 days,” Fitzsimmons told the judge. “That way we avoid clogging up probation and caseloads and avoid Ms. Alexander having to pay probation costs.”
The plight of the dog – a brown female pit bull, approximately three- to four years old – was discovered when a delivery driver found her chained to Alexander’s front porch in the 300 block of Forrest Hills Drive in Winnsboro on January 13, 2017. The driver notified the town’s Department of Public Safety, and an officer responded, finding the dog cowering under the front steps of the home and chained to the front porch, according to the incident report.
The dog was emaciated, the report states, with the outlines of vertebrae, ribs and hip bones pressing through the skin. An empty, turned over water bucket was on the porch. There was no food bowl available for the dog, the report states. Instead, there was a milk jug with a hole cut into the top sitting on the porch. Inside the jug, according to the report, was what appeared to be milk with a layer of grease floating on top.
When Alexander arrived home a short time later, the report states, she admitted the dog was hers and told the officer that the dog had been sick for more than a month and would not eat. The officer then produced a pack of crackers and offered them to the dog, who devoured them almost instantly. The dog quickly went through a second pack, “so it appeared to be very hungry,” the report states. The dog also lapped up a large amount of water when the officer filled her water bowl.
Alexander also told the officer that she had not taken the dog to a veterinarian “because she could not afford it,” the report states.
When the officer asked Alexander to show him the food she had been feeding the dog, she said she did not have any. She had only been feeding the animal table scraps, she said. She also claimed that the neighbors had been feeding the dog against her wishes.
Alexander agreed to allow Fairfield Animal Control to pick up the dog and take it to the Animal Shelter, but by the time the County took possession of the animal it was too late. The County euthanized the dog two days later.
Dr. Chappell’s report stated that the dog suffered from “obvious animal neglect,” and was “severely anemic” as a result of malnutrition.
“The dog was in dreadful condition,” Bob Innes, Director of Fairfield County Animal Control told The Voice. “We did all we could. We had the vet come out, we gave the dog medication. We gave her a blood transfusion – her blood count was in terrible shape. But in the end, we had to put her down. When an animal is that malnourished,” Innes said, “it affects the internal organs. We gave her medication, but there was no improvement. She was in just dreadful condition.”
he Westwood boys and their coaches celebrate after finishing second overall in Class 4A and behind only Hilton Head. Photo/ Ross Burton.
COLUMBIA – Westwood High School’s girls and boys clocked in at second overall in Class 4A at last weekend’s State Track and Field Meet. Westwood’s Kaden Briggs won state titles in the 110-meter high hurdles, the 400 hurdles and as a part of the Redhawks’ 4×100 relay team. They finished only behind Hilton Head in the overall standings.
“I didn’t go into the season thinking we were going to pull it off, but we did,” Briggs said. “It feels really good. It’s a blessing knowing how far we’ve come.”
Briggs won the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.70 seconds, and the 400 hurdles with a time of 54.03. Briggs’ 4×100 team finished with a time of 41.58, three tenths of a second faster than Lower Richland’s team.
Westwood boys coach Rod Lorick knew his team had it in them to finish strong.
“We had a good chance, it all just came down to the numbers,” he said. “I congratulate Hilton Head. They did a good job. Our boys did a stand-up job, I’m proud of them. We have a young team. We’re losing Kaden, and we’re going to miss him, but we’re young, we’re ready and we’re hungry.”
A fourth-place finish in the 4×400 relay and an eighth-place finish in the 4×800 boosted the Redhawks.
Diamond Rush claimed the gold in the 100 and 200 dashes, while Jasmine Brown took first in the long jump to propel the Westwood girls to a fourthplace finish behind Hilton Head, Daniel and South Pointe.
“In all honesty, you never know. You don’t want to underestimate your competition,” Rush said about projecting how her team would do going into the meet. “It was a blessing to finish this high, but I really didn’t know.”
Rush finished just ahead of Airport Sprinter Jayla Jamison in both the 100 and 200 dashes. Rush finished the 100 in 12.15 seconds and the 200 in 24.40.
In the long jump, Jasmine Brown won the gold with a jump of 18-02.
Blythewood’s Robert Braswell, Kenny Benton and Josh Bowers boosted the boy’s fourth-place finish in the 5A portion of the meet. Braswell took first in the High Jump with a 6-06 effort. Benton won the 100 dash with a time of 11.11 and Bowers took the 800 run with a time of 1:55.38.
Likewise, the Blythewood ladies also took a home a fourth place finish in the 5A portion of the meet. Sharnae Alston finished second in the 100 and followed it up with a third place in the 200.
Blythewood also notched a third place finish in the 4×800 and the 4×400, to go along with a fourth place result in the 4×100. Keionna Ray helped boost Blythewood into the top five overall with her third place performance in the triple jump.
The team of Kimoni Harris, Wesley Benbow, Ahquil Ross and Darian Glenn secured a third-place finish in the 4×100 relay for the Fairfield Central Griffins.
Fairfield County Arts Council president Linda Dye presented a first place award for student art to Tyus Armstrong, a student at Fairfield Magnet School.
Thee Town of Ridgeway once again opened hearts and minds to The Arts during its 11th annual Arts on the Ridge festival. While the epicenter of the festival was the Century House, the festivities were scattered throughout the town. There were free musical performances, artist demonstrations, a juried art show and sale, art and handmade craft vendors and an official Arts on the Ridge Poster for purchase. Participating merchants also offered wine, art and live music for shoppers.
“It was a wonderful weekend,” Phyllis Gutierrez, organizer of the event, told The Voice. “We add more each year, and this year we added Every Picture Tells a Story in which the artists talked to patrons about how a particular piece of art came about.”
The event closed with a garden party at Mayor Charlene Herring’s home where winners of the juried art show were announced and guests were entertained by a guitarist
Sheriff Will Montgomery cheers on one of three Fairfield County athletes, Amber Jones, James Bowman and Hannah Bass who carried the Special Olympics Torch through downtown Winnsboro last week. The County Line to County Line SC Special Olympics Torch Run in Fairfield County included the Fairfield Central High School Band performing
Blythewood Presbyterian Church held the first worship service in their new outdoor pavilion on Easter Sunday. The next service is set for May 21.
Members of Blythewood Presbyterian Church christened their newly constructed pavilion on Easter Sunday with an outdoor worship service followed by a community meal. Located at 441 Rimer Pond Road, the pavilion both encompasses the natural surroundings and is a functional space that can seat 300 people.
The pavilion features storage rooms, restrooms and a great stone fireplace on one end, Pastor Rhett Sanders said.
Keith Berry, the owner of Makk Homes, assembled the structure from a kit, Shirley Construction did the site work for the property at large and Robert Blevins of Cedar Creek did the site work for the pavilion area. Armstrong Construction helped out with materials.
“We are planning to utilize the pavilion in ways that will bless our church family as well as the Town of Blythewood,” Sanders said. “Our hope is to provide space for relationships, celebrations, conversations and memories. We look forward to building community for decades to come.”
While still waiting to build a church building on the site, the congregation worships on Sunday mornings at Blythewood High School. The next worship gathering at the pavilion is planned for Sunday, May 21.
WINNSBORO – The Fairfield County Sheriff ’s officer announced Monday, that Sharon Coleman, 34, of Winnsboro
has been arrested for first-degree arson and three counts of murder after a house fire at 120 Robinson Avenue claimed the lives of her husband and children early Sunday morning.
“This is still an active, ongoing investigation and we are limited on what information we can release at this time,” Fairfield County Sheriff Will Montgomery said.
According to Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill, the bodies of Justin Wilson, 29, Kenya Coleman, 8, and Deshawn Wilson, 6, were recovered by firefighters inside the residence. An autopsy conducted Monday morning found the cause of deaths to be carbon monoxide poisoning and thermal burns.
The home at 120 Robinson Avenue in Winnsboro where a man and two children died from injuries suffered when the home burned early Sunday morning.
Wilson was denied bond and is being held at the Fairfield County Detention Center. According to Sheriff Montgomery, there could be more charges against Coleman.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is assisting authorities in determining the source of the
fire.
Dr. J.R. Green, the Superintendent of the Fairfield County School District, said that counselors would be on hand for students and staff.
“The Fairfield County School District Family is deeply saddened by the recent loss of two of our students at Fairfield Elementary School,” Green said. “All district social workers and elementary guidance counselors reported to Fairfield Elementary School on Monday morning to assist students and staff with the emotional trauma of this tragedy.”
Aiden Massey catches the ball before it can make its way across the plate. Photo/ Kristy Massey
BLYTHEWOOD – One day after falling 1-0 to top-seed Sumter in the opening round of the 5A-District VII tournament, the Bengals traveled across town to White Knoll Thursday night, where the Timberwolves won 4-1 to oust Blythewood from the double-elimination postseason bracket.
“I told this team we’ve got as much heart as any team I’ve had,” Blythewood head coach Banks Faulkner said. “We’re going to get on the right side of this thing. I told our seniors that they did a great job of laying a foundation for the future.”
White Knoll starting pitcher Jacob Jeffcoat pitched a complete-game 3-hitter, striking out three. Jeffcoat’s biggest downsides on the night were issuing three walks and hitting four batters.
“He had three pitches working, but not to take anything away from them, they’re a great team, but he was his own enemy,” White Knoll head coach Charles Assey said. “It’s not about the base hit Flemming got (that scored
Blythewood’s only run), it was what happened in front of it.”
The Timberwolves (15-10) will play Summerville Saturday.
Blythewood finishes the season 15-11.
“I tip my hat to coach Assey and White Knoll, he’s one of the best,” Faulkner said. “I’ve known him since we were little and I have a great deal of respect for him and his team, but for whatever reason, we just don’t play well against these guys.”
White Knoll got all the offense it needed for the win with a few plays in the first two innings. The Timberwolves took a 1-0 lead when Parker Wieder singled, Clayton Lindsey doubled, and Jacob Horton walked to load the bases with one out. Pierceson Nance hit a hard bouncer down the first base line. Before the Blythewood infield could make a play, Wieder came home safely and Nance reached base.
In the second inning with one on and one out, Ryan Hardin reached on an error that scored Matthew Ditch from second to make it 2-0. Hardin himself scored when Wieder grounded to Ben Lang-Spittler at second. Lang-Spittler got Wieder out at first, and first baseman Aiden Massey fired to catcher Josh Cowan, but Hardin beat the throw to the plate.
All three runs were charged to Bengals starter Daniel Zippel. Zippel only worked 1 1/3 of an inning before Landon Lucas came on in relief.
Lucas stayed on for 4 2/.3 innings, giving up a run on three hits, striking out two and hitting one.
Blythewood’s only hurrah came in the fourth with two out. Jeffcoat hit Landon Cruz, walked John Lanier and hit Brady Beasley to load the bases.
Jordan Flemming, the only Bengal with two hits on the night, ripped a single into short left that scored Cruz.
Lanier rounded third on the play, but inexplicably held up and didn’t score. Todd Mattox slapped a grounder to third to end the inning.
“We just don’t do enough good baseball things,” Faulkner said. “It’s not our heart or toughness. We didn’t get a big hit with runners in scoring position, we get a baserunning error where I don’t know what was going on there. The game just sort of figures itself out.”
The game Thursday night pivoted on that inning, and figured itself out in favor of the Timberwolves. White Knoll added a run in the bottom of the fourth to end the inning, while the Bengals couldn’t get any other runs across.
Blythewood loses eight seniors, but Faulkner says they’ll be in a better position to fight out of the middle of Region V-5A—as long as the returners put in the work and leaders can emerge.
“We’re really young. We’re gonna bring a lot of guys back,” he said. “We’ve gotta find some leaders. We had some really outstanding seniors who did a great job of providing leadership to our young kids. We’ll miss them, and we’ll take a week off to reflect. And then we’ll get back to work.”
Blythewood 000 100 0 – 1 3 1
White Knoll 120 100 x – 4 6 1
WP: Jacob Jeffcoat. LP: Daniel Zippel.
Hitters: Blythewood – Jordan Flemming 2-3. White Knoll – Clayton Lindsey 2-3, 2B. Ryan Harbin 2B.
