WINNSBORO – Veteran law enforcement officer Patrick Clemens has been named Interim Chief of the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety.
Clemens
He said he’s looking forward to the challenge.
“Wherever I’ve worked, I’ve always tried to leave things
better than I found them,” he said, “and I want to do that here in Winnsboro.
This is the kind of work I like to do.”
Clemens came to work for the Department two years ago after
serving as a patrol officer for four years at Edisto Beach and prior to that
for four years at S. Congaree.
He spent 18 years with the Richland County Sheriff’s
Department as a deputy, and also served in law enforcement at both the Citadel
and Newberry County.
Clemens is married and has a daughter at Clemson and a son
who works in the computer field.
“I’m happy to be here, and I’m looking forward to growing
the department,” Clemens said on Wednesday. “One of the things we’re working on
is building the department back up – both the fire side of the department and
the police side. We’re down three fulltime firefighters and five – soon to be
six – police officers.”
Clemens said the crime scene in Winnsboro has settled down
considerably in the last two years.
“That’s because our officers are on the street, patrolling
neighborhoods, and enforcing traffic laws,” he said. “We’re driving the
residential streets; we’re visible. We want to talk to the residents and get to
know them.
“The officers I work with here have the same attitude,”
Clemens said. “We’re old timers – I’ve been doing this for 30 years – and we
want to make sure of our legacy. I want the Winnsboro Public Safety Department
to be set up for success if or when I ever leave.”
Town Manager Jason Taylor said he wishes Clemens well as
interim chief.
“I am confident that he will be a steady hand in
guiding the public safety department through this current transition,”
Taylor said.
GREENBRIER — The 19th Annual Wings & Wheels Air Festival will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2024 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Fairfield County Airport.
The festival will feature a skydiving demonstration,
cruise-In car show, display of fixed wing aircraft, law enforcement and
emergency vehicles, DJ, artisan and food vendors, face painting, bounce house
and airplane rides by S & S Aviation (for a fee) and children’s amusements.
The South Carolina Railroad Museum will hosting offer a
free train ride at 2 p.m., and public transportation will be available to
shuttle guests to and from the Railroad Museum.
The Fairfield County Airport is located at 1291 Runway Road,
Winnsboro. Directions: take US Highway 321 S. from Winnsboro, turn right onto
SC 269 (sign). Continue 1.4 miles to Kelly Miller Road, turn right 0.2 miles,
turn right onto Runway Road. Parking on your left.
For more information, contact Fairfield County Chamber of
Commerce at info@chamberfc.com or 803-635-4242 or Fairfield Airport at
803-635-1058 or Denise.Bryan@fairfield.sc.gov.
The Wings & Wheels Festival is sponsored by the Fairfield County Aeronautics Commission and the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce.
Boo Major to Retire as Coach of USC Equestrian Team
BLYTHEWOOD – It was announced last week that Blythewood’s most decorated cowgirl, Boo Major, will retire as Head Coach of the University of South Carolina’s Championship Equestrian Team in July.
A Gamecock Facebook message to Major went right to the heart
of the matter.
Boo Major
“No words to express the one and only Boo Major,” the message read. “We thank you for your amazing dedication to the South Carolina Equestrian Program.”
While media releases about her retirement identify Major as
a native of Columbia, Blythewood folks have long claimed her as their own.
It was in Blythewood, after all, that she began riding at
the age of three at the JJ Ranch, a popular dude ranch that was located behind
the Blythewood fire station during the 1960’s.
“I can still remember the aged pony I rode, also named Major. Mr. Jennings would hold little rodeos at the ranch and he would set me up on that pony. The pony was so kid-safe that they had to get behind him and push him off. He would slowly walk me around the ring, and when he’d stop, they would push him off again,” Major recalled with a laugh. “We’d make it around the ring a few times like that.”
JJ Ranch owner Jim Jennings with young Boo Major.
Much of her formative years were spent on her Uncle Mac
McCrory’s farm in Blythewood, riding horses and sliding down the tin roof of
the barn with friends.
Major said she was about 10 when she began taking serious riding lessons under trainer Betty Beltzer. She was soon riding to the hounds as a member of the Camden Hunt Club, entering local horse show competitions and winning awards at hunter and eventing shows.
“I loved horses and I loved Blythewood. When I was in high
school, my friends and I would ride all over downtown Blythewood, jumping
fences and other things wherever we encountered them,” she recalled. “After
horse shows at the Blythewood Community Center (the cinderblock building across
from the Food Lion) we’d ride over to a great little hamburger place across
Main Street from the fire station to eat. It was a carefree life, for a Blythewood
horse girl. It was a wonderful world to grow up in.”
Following high school, Major attended Sweetbrier College and
was a member of the Virginia school’s prestigious equestrian program. She went
on to earn both bachelors and masters degrees from the University of South
Carolina.
After college, she moved to the Blythewood farm and lived
there until recently, when she built a house on Lake Wateree in anticipation of
her retirement.
Boo Major in competition.
Over the years, Major built a solid reputation as an
accomplished horsewoman, trainer and equestrian judge in Blythewood and beyond,
and has contributed as much as anyone to Blythewood’s reputation as horse
country.
So, it was not entirely unthinkable that, in 1997, the
University of South Carolina would chose Major to be head coach of the school’s
Equestrian Team, and the rest is history. (See her coaching career highlights
in sidebar.)
Major said the head coaching position was everything she’d
ever dreamed of. But the icing on the cake came a few years later when USC
first leased, then purchased Katy and Scott Peterson’s 25-acre One Wood Farm on
Syrup Mill Road in Blythewood for the equestrian team’s home base, serving as
both a training and show facility. The farm was touted as one of the finest
facilities in the college equestrian world, and Major was beyond proud of it,
joking that she was bringing her work home.
“I was very fortunate to have this wonderful equestrian
career with the university, which I love, while at the same time being able to
continue to live and work in Blythewood,” Major told The Voice. “I couldn’t
have asked for anything more. One Wood is a fantastic facility, and Blythewood
is the logical setting for the team’s home base.”
As her career soared and her teams collected numerous major
championships in the SEC and on the national level, Major, herself, received
many prestigious honors for her coaching, including being twice named SEC Coach
of the Year and twice named National Coach of the Year by the NCEA.
Major doused with Gatorade following a national championship win.
Blythewood was proud of Major’s accomplishments and recognized
her in a number of ways, including naming her as Grand Marshall of the
Blythewood Christmas Parade, giving her the Key to the Town (a first!) and
spearheading the effort for the S.C. Senate to vote to post a sign on I-77 at
Blythewood’s Exit 27 declaring the town, ‘Home of the University of South
Carolina Equestrian Team.’
“Looking back, my horse life has been a ton of fun, and the
last 26 years as head coach of the Equestrian Team fulfilled my dreams. It gave
me the opportunity to be able to enjoy the things I love the most – being
involved with horses, coaching a championship team, living in Blythewood and
being a Gamecock. I’ve been a Gamecock since birth, really,” she said. “It’s
just been a lot of fun and a lot of hard work, but it was everything I wanted.
“It’s been a really great ride.”
Coaching legend calls it a career
Kevin Miller
The following was posted on the Garnet & Cocky website in response to Boo Major’s announcement last Friday that she will retire as head coach of the USC Equestrian team.
A graduate of the University of South Carolina (class of
1981), Boo Major is an icon in the world of equestrian instruction, and for the
last 26 seasons, she has served as the head coach of her hometown South
Carolina Gamecocks.
Major’s accomplishments listed on her Gamecocksonline.com
profile are staggering.
During her time at the helm, South Carolina equestrians won
three Overall NCEA National Championships (2005, 2007, and 2015) and three NCEA
Hunter Seat Medal National Championships (2005, 2006, and 2007). She also
coached the IHSA Individual National Champion in 2004 when Tara Brothers won
the title and the NCEA Individual Flat National Champion and NCEA Individual
Equitation National Champion in 2008 when Kristen Terebesi swept the Hunt Seat
titles.
Major also coached Hunt Seat MVP Kimberly McCormack, NCEA
National Rider of the Year Caroline Gute, and 12 1st-team All-Americans in the
past 14 seasons.
During her career, Major also became the first Gamecock head
coach (regardless of sport) ever to win the SEC in back-to-back seasons in a
team sport. She is now joined by South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley in
reaching that milestone.
Major was a two-time SEC Coach of the Year and a two-time
NCEA National Coach of the Year. She was the first Gamecock head coach
(regardless of sport) to win three national titles. She is now joined by Dawn
Staley in that regard, as well.
Throughout her tenure wearing garnet and black, Boo Major
was a significant supporter of other South Carolina Gamecocks athletic programs
and was a well-liked personality all over campus. She plans to stay around the
program, athletic department, and university in her retirement.
Town Manager Jason Taylor’s resignation will take effect July 1. | File Photo
WINNSBORO – After almost three years with the Town of
Winnsboro, Town Manager Jason Taylor has resigned.
Taylor told The Voice on Wednesday that he has accepted the City Manager position for the Town of Newberry under a three-year contract.
Taylor was hired by the Town of Winnsboro in June of 2021
after serving six years as Fairfield County Administrator. Under Taylor’s
leadership, the county brought in more than $100 million in industrial
investment and created more than 1,000 jobs.
While at the county, he was also instrumental in the
restoration of the farmers market building on East Washington Street in
Winnsboro and the Fairfield County Government Complex.
During his tenure at the Town, Taylor initiated the redevelopment of downtown Winnsboro, with projects including the historic Thespian Hall, the Tavern, Fortune Springs Park and several other deteriorating buildings in the town.
“I want to thank Winnsboro’s Town Council for having given me the opportunity to serve as the Town Manager for the last 3 years,” Taylor wrote in a statement late Wednesday.
“It has been a pleasure working for them and the citizens of Winnsboro. I feel that together we were able to accomplish a number of things that will have a very positive impact on the Town and insure that the community has a bright future.”
COLUMBIA – A Blythewood man, along with 12 others, has been
charged with Animal Fighting and Baiting on Saturday, April 20, according to a
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) report released on Monday.
Eric Deon Todd, 35, of Blythewood, was one of 13 individuals
booked into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County after two
dogs were rescued from an active fight Saturday night in Richland County,
according to the report.
The dogs were taken to a local emergency veterinarian for
treatment.
Multiple firearms and over $84,000 in cash were located at
the scene of the dogfight, according to SLED.
SLED partnered with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department
for the operation. The investigation is active and ongoing.
You can report information regarding dogfighting in South
Carolina to SLED at tips@sled.sc.gov
COLUMBIA — Casey William Degolyer, 48, of Blair, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to threatening interstate communications, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
Evidence presented in court showed that the FBI received
numerous complaints regarding Degolyer’s posts on social media. Degolyer posted
almost daily calling for the execution of public officials, including the need
to hang certain public office holders from a rope, killing law enforcement and
their families, dragging judges and their family “out of their households” to
be “brutalized in the streets,” opposing the government by violence and force,
and killing members of certain racial and ethnic groups.
Degolyer targeted both specific public office holders and
groups of people based on their jobs or ethnicity. He wrote that he was “about
to go dark and take action.” Degolyer’s
threats continued even after being contacted by law enforcement.
Degolyer has prior convictions for criminal domestic
violence, violating an order of protection, violating a restraining order, and
unlawful use of a telephone. When he was
arrested, he was found with four firearms and ammunition, which he was not
allowed to possess under federal law.
Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie
sentenced Degolyer to 18 months imprisonment, a sentence that was above the
advisory sentencing guidelines, to be followed by three-year term of
court-ordered supervision. There is no
parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office
with support from the U.S. Secret Service, the York County Sheriff’s Office,
the Rock Hill Police Department, and the Fairfield County Sheriff’s
Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott
B. Daniels prosecuted the case.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – Keshawn Keanu Miller, 20, of Ridgeway, SC has been arrested for Attempted Murder, Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime, and Malicious Injury to Personal Property, according to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s office.
These charges stem from a shooting incident that took place
on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at the Pops Gas Station located at the
intersection of US Hwy 21 S. and Coleman Hwy outside of Ridgeway. Based on this
investigation, this is not believed to be a random act.
This investigation is still ongoing and Investigators are
continuing to explore more potential charges. Anyone with information about
this incident is asked to contact the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office at
803-635-4141.
RWA Shooting Program Claims Fourth SCISA Title in Four Years
Charlie Bonds, Aaron Geddens and JT Wilkes claimed their second SCISA State title in a row on Saturday. They are pictured with program director John Lewis, left, and coach Randy Wilkes, right.
SOCIETY HILL – Richard Winn Academy’s boys sporting clay team brought home its fourth straight state championship Saturday at Moree’s Sportsman’s Preserve in Chesterfield County’s Society Hill.
The Eagles team of Charlie Bonds, Aaron Geddens, and J.T.
Wilkes won with a total score of 256, surpassing second-place Hilton Head’s
245. Wilson Hall finished in third place with 243, Cardinal Newman took fourth
at 236 and Thomas Heyward Academy finished fifth with 233.
“They’ve been shooting together four years, they just really
work together well,” Sporting clays head coach Randy Wilkes said. “It just
clicks when they get out there on the course. They complement each other.”
In sporting clay tournaments, team coaches are not allowed
to talk to the shooters. Wilkes mentioned that Bonds, Geddens and Wilkes have
been shooting together for so long that they act like each other’s coaches.
“These guys will talk to each other and joke with each other
to lighten each other up,” Wilkes said. “When one misses they give each other
some encouraging words and they start hitting them again. It’s really fun to
watch them.”
Bonds won High Over All (HOA) honors with a score of 88.
Wilkes’ score was 86 and Geddens score was 82.
For the team of Bonds, Wilkes, and Geddens, it was their second straight state championship win.
Abby Lewis, left, Ella Grace Harrison and Lexi Corley took second place in the ladies division.
The Richard Winn ladies team of Lexi Coley, Ella Grace
Harrison, and Abby Lewis finished in second place in their tournament with a
score of 194. The Heathwood Hall ladies finished first with a score of 218.
Lewis won HOA in the ladies JV division with a score of 84.
Harrison’s score was 73 and Coley’s score was 37.
Coley’s score may have been low compared to her teammates,
but Wilkes said it’s because she’s a first-year shooter and the youngest on the
team.
“She’s shooting in a division that’s much older than her.
She and Abby (a sophomore) could be shooting in an easier division, but because
Ella Grace is a senior, they have to shoot on a senior varsity course that’s
much more difficult than courses for younger shooters.”
Lewis and Harrison were members of the 2022 Girls SCISA
State Champion team with then-senior Mikaela Miller.
The Eagles will compete for the South Carolina Youth
Shooting Foundation’s (SCYSF’s) state championship in Edgefield April 27.
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – Deputies seized over 22
firearms, ammunition, body armor, quantities of illegal drugs, and US currency
in a Fairfield County drug operation that was conducted Wednesday night, March
27, according to Fairfield County Sheriff Will Montgomery.
Montgomery
said three men from the Mitford Community of Fairfield County were arrested
following the investigation.
Matthew
Costenbader, 58, of Persimmon Road was charged with Trafficking
Methamphetamine, Trafficking Fentanyl, Distribution of Fentanyl, two counts of
Possession of a Weapon by Convicted Felon, and Distribution of Methamphetamine
within Proximity of a School.
Brady Barron
of 15733 Hwy 200 was charged with Distribution of Methamphetamine, Possession
of a Weapon by Convicted Felon, Distribution of Methamphetamine within
Proximity of a School, and Possession of a stolen firearm.
Kalvis
“Hank” Ingram of 15733 Hwy 200 was charged with Trafficking Methamphetamine,
two counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine, and Distribution of
Methamphetamine within Proximity of a School.
“For the
past several months, we have been receiving complaints from our citizens in this
area, especially with incidents involving overdoses and we have been working
hard to address these complaints,” Montgomery said. “This has been a lengthy
and thorough investigation and we appreciate everyone’s patience.
Montgomery
said more arrests are expected as a result of this investigation.
Multiple
drug search warrants were served at several different locations as the result
of the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit conducting a narcotics
operation. The investigation, assisted by the Chester County Sheriff’s Office,
spanned several months, targeting the distribution of methamphetamine and
fentanyl in the area.
“Because of
the scope of this operation, approximately 40 law enforcement officers from
multiple law enforcement agencies assisted with the search warrant operation,”
Montgomery said. Deputies with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office, Chester
County Sheriff’s Office, Newberry County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kershaw
County Sheriff’ Office, along with agents from SC Law Enforcement Division
(SLED), participated in this operation.
Anyone having information regarding illegal narcotics activity in Fairfield County, is urged to contact the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit at 803-635-6245 or call the Sheriff’s Office at 803-635-4141. Your name will remain anonymous.
BLYTHEWOOD – New charges have been brought against former Blythewood photographer Gregg Martin, who was previously arrested for crimes against a child.
On March 19, 2024, at approximately 6:30 a.m., Richland
County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a location of a wanted suspect on
Wilson Blvd. in Blythewood. Deputies had been notified of and made contact with
Martin, 55, who had three warrants from Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department in
Georgia.
The charges against Martin on the three warrants are: Use of
Computer Service to Seduce, Solicit, Lure or Entice Child to Commit Illegal
Acts; Electronically Furnishing Obscene Material to Minors; and Obscene
Internet Contact with a Child.
Martin was arrested without incident for the charges and
booked at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, according to the Richland County
Sheriff’s Department.
Martin was originally arrested on April 8, 2022, after
reports were made of him taking inappropriate photographs of a young girl under
his care. He was charged with Engaging a Child under 18 for Sexual Performance
in addition to Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child.
On Friday, May 6, 2022, Martin was arrested again and
charged with Exploitation of a Minor 1st Degree (3 counts), Exploitation of a
Minor 2nd Degree (2 counts), Exploitation of a Minor 3rd Degree, Kidnapping,
Promoting Prostitution, Criminal Sexual Conduct 1st Degree and Criminal Sexual
Conduct 3rd Degree.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said that Martin was
charged May 25, 2022, with Sexual Exploitation of a Minor 2nd degree and Sexual
Exploitation of a minor 3rd degree stemming from a 2019 incident. The May 25
charges are from an additional victim who came forward after learning that
Martin had been charged with other crimes.
He was arrested again on June 1, 2022, and charged with Sex/Peeping
Tom, Eaves Dropping or Peeping.
