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 WINNSBORO – After the county settled a $50,000 complaint from former county employee Diana Robinson, the wife of County Councilman Neil Robison, questions remain.

Why did the county pay for the entire settlement from the general fund? No lawsuit was filed and there is no evidence in almost 200 documents that The Voice received in response to an FOI request to the county that the county’s insurer through the S.C. Association of Counties handled the settlement with Robinson.

After interviewing some council members and reviewing hundreds of pages of documentation, it appears that the complaint and settlement were largely handled by County Administrator Malik Whitaker, the county’s attorney Charles Boykin and the county’s employment attorney Fred Williams with the law firm of Gignilliat Savitz & Bettis LLP.

County Council members Douglas Pauley and Clarence Gilbert and other county officials say the negotiations for the settlement were conducted outside standard county procedures and that given the unusual circumstances, council should have been informed.

“Ms. Robinson resigned on Sept. 16 of last year, and from then until we were asked to vote on a settlement last month, council members were never told about any ongoing complaints made by Ms. Robinson or that there was anything going on about a settlement, an EEOC complaint or any other employment complaint,” Pauley said.

“We (council) were never, not once, updated or officially informed about anything to do with her resignation or any complaints until June 13, 2022, nine months after her resignation, when we went in to an executive session and were told that if we didn’t settle with Ms. Robinson, that she might sue the county,” he continued.

Asked by The Voice this week when he learned about the EEOC complaints, the mediation and the proposed settlement, County Councilman Moses Bell said he found everything out at the same time everyone else found out, during the executive session on June 13, 2022, that he was not aware of what was going on with the complaint and negotiations.

“At the night of the executive session, we all received documents from our employment counsel, Mr. Williams. We all received the same document that included a recommendation. The two pieces of paper had a bunch of information on it and, based on that information, we came out of executive session and a motion was made to award a settlement based on the recommendation of our attorney,” Bell said.

Bell went on to say he had not been involved with the Robinson matter at all or at any time before the June 13, 2022 executive session.

At press time, The Voice had been unable to reach the other council members for interviews about the issue.

While a charge of discrimination was filed by Robinson with the Equal Employment Office Commission (EEOC) in September 2021, and an amended charge of discrimination filed in March 2022, there is no documentation that the EEOC or the SC Human Affairs Commission issued a decision on the complaint.

In a draft letter dated Jan. 25, 2022, from Williams to the EEOC in answer to Robinson’s September 2021 complaint, Williams stated, in conclusion, that “Ms. Robinson’s charges should be dismissed with a ‘no cause’ finding.”

In a revised letter to the EEOC, dated the next day, Jan. 26, 2022, Williams made an about-face conclusion that, “Fairfield County is open to reaching a resolution of this charge with Ms. Robinson through the mediation process. To that end, the County asks that this matter be submitted to the Commission’s mediation department.”

In that same letter, it is noted that when Robinson left the county, “Brad Caulder was serving as Interim County Administrator of Fairfield County.”

It also stated that a new administrator had been hired who was not involved when Robinson left the county.

It is not clear who within the county actually handled Robinson’s complaints and settlement negotiations, but Caulder made it clear in an email he sent to council members on June 24, 2022, which was obtained by The Voice through an FOIA request, that he had not been included in mediation and did not know a settlement was going to be proposed.

“I have recently learned of a council vote offering to settle an employment claim of a former employee against the county that occurred during my time as Interim Administrator,” Caulder wrote. “I have also learned it has been communicated to council there is no documentation available from me regarding this matter. If council has reached the point of making a decision to settle a case involving my decisions during my time as Interim Administrator, I would think council would offer me an opportunity to explain and provide documentation regarding the circumstances before making such an unprecedented decision.

“This has been an ongoing concern of mine since I ended my time as Interim Administrator. I have also not had the opportunity to personally defend my decisions regarding this case with the EEOC/SCHAC.” Caulder wrote.

Caulder stated in the email that he had also not been involved with any mediation between the county and the claimant which, he said, is unusual.

“There has been council involvement in this matter which is concerning,” he wrote.

“To my knowledge,” he wrote, “normal protocol of filing employment cases with the Association of Counties for liability defense has not been followed which is also extremely concerning.”

“I don’t know why we were all kept in the dark,” Councilman Douglas Pauley said. “I don’t know why Mr. Caulder, who handled the issue to begin with, was not included in the mediation. There are a lot of questions. At this point we don’t really know who was in charge of handling this. And we don’t know why such a big settlement was made without all of council reviewing all the documentation. We should have at least known that there was a complaint so that we could have asked questions and investigated.”

According to state law section 4-9-660, while council members normally deal with county officers and employees through the county administrator, they are allowed to ask questions and become involved “for the purposes of inquiries and investigations.” 

Note: The Voice has since received a text from Councilwoman Shirley Green saying only that she, “didn’t know about the settlement until executive session.”

WINNSBORO – During the last three months there have been eight documented drive-by shooting incidents in Winnsboro. The last one – over the weekend – has left two juveniles shot, according to reports filed with the Winnsboro Police Department.

While members of the community are becoming increasingly fearful about the rash of drive-bys in the town, Winnsboro Department of Public Safety Chief John Seibles says he’s frustrated. He says the majority of the shootings appear to be gang-related retaliation.

He says WDPS has numerous warrants out on suspects. In June a 19-year-old was charged with attempted murder in connection with the sixth shooting, and several juveniles were arrested.

But the drive-by’s continue and, as of last weekend, are becoming more frequent and more dangerous.

The latest Winnsboro shooting occurred about 11:30 p.m. in the 200 block of Calhoun Street.

Officers determined that the shooter’s vehicle was driving west on Calhoun when they fired about 10 shots, hitting the two juveniles as they were walking west on Calhoun, according to the report.

A witness reported a gray sedan with tinted windows had driven slowly down Calhoun prior to the shooting.

One of the victims was shot in the back and the other initially told officers that a bullet grazed his stomach, but officers reported that he had difficulty standing and moving as he was loaded into the ambulance.

Officers reported that both victims were transported to Prisma Hospital in Columbia where they underwent surgery. Both were later reported to be in stable condition.

While officers were investigating the scene, Fairfield County deputies responded to another shooting just outside the Winnsboro town limits.

Fairfield County deputies also helped investigate the Calhoun Street scene where they recovered a shell casing, two bullets and a weapon-mounted light.

Officials say they have not yet determined if the two shootings are related.

Lawson: Admin Ineffective, Unprofessional,and Uncaring

WINNSBORO – After Fairfield County Detention Center Director Teresa Lawson resigned abruptly Thursday, July 14, 16 of the 18 corrections officers at the detention center signed a petition calling on County Administrator Malik Whitaker to reinstate Lawson, to provide adequate staffing at the detention center and to increase their pay which was cut by 10 percent this budget year. They say the conditions at the Detention Center are dangerous without adequate staffing.

In her resignation letter to Whitaker, Lawson wrote that she felt undermined by county administration to the point that she can no longer effectively do her job.

Lawson is the seventh top county official to leave or be pushed out in the last 18 months. Two others have announce they will be running for elective office in November.

After the story of her resignation broke on The Voice’s Facebook page the evening of July 14, WIS-TV interviewed Lawson at her home in Chester five days later about her resignation.

On Wednesday, July 20, the majority of officers at the detention center submitted the signed petition to Whitaker with copies to council.

In an exclusive interview with The Voice, Lawson said she was desperate for two additional officers on the floor, but that those two positions had been frozen last year. She said that as she watched the May 23 county council meeting, to her surprise, council voted 5-2  to approve $55,000 for a correctional officer position and 5-2 for a $90,000 deputy director position at the detention center without having consulted her. She said Whitaker posted a job for the deputy director around the first of July without her input.

In a press release dated July 15, Whitaker stated, “The decision to hire a deputy director, who can also serve in some capacity as a corrections officer, was made to assist with the current staffing concerns. A deputy director will also provide additional leadership and assist with developing a long-range recruitment and retention plan for employees. “

“I didn’t need a deputy director. I already had a captain,” Lawson said. “That $90,000 would have been better spent to provide more officers and an increase in salary for the ones we have. We are understaffed, overworked, in danger, and need some relief,” she said. “This is a very dangerous job without adequate staffing.”

She said in her resignation letter that the current administration has been ineffective, unprofessional, uncaring and unreachable. Lawson said she has worked for the county for almost 40 years and has served as detention center director for about the last 10 years.

 “Failure to address staffing concerns and other critical issues has made this position impossible to succeed in,” Lawson wrote in her letter to Whitaker.

She said she also learned that three of the four applicants for the deputy director position are related, leaving the door open for nepotism. She said she was told that the applicants would be interviewed not by her but by a committee chosen by Whitaker.

Lawson said there are currently 20 officers manning the jail with more than 60 inmates. She said that is a dangerous ratio and that they have had injuries because of inadequate staffing in recent months.

Lawson gave examples in her resignation letter as to why she was resigning.

“Raises have been requested and denied,” she wrote to Whitaker. “We are in desperate need of officers on the floor, not in administration.

“As of right now we have 22 violent offenders and several mental health inmates that require additional security,” she wrote.

She wrote that an audit by the SC Association of Counties’ insurance provider shows that the detention center’s low staffing is at a dangerous level.

“The mental stress and frustration with this administration is too much for me to carry,” Lawson wrote.

“If this continues, it will place my health, the safety of the staff, inmates and the citizens which we protect, in jeopardy,” she wrote. “The Fairfield County Detention Center, like all [the county’s] emergency departments, are in a crash and burn state.”

Captain Harriet Squirewell, of the Fairfield Detention Center, is assuming operation command of the center.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY – A crash at Carolina Adventure World on Saturday resulted in the death of a Charlotte man, according to Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill.

Hill identified the man as Jorge Bienavides, 35, who died at the scene from injuries he suffered when the ATV he was riding flipped over and landed on top of him.

There is no information about what caused Bienavides to lose control of the ATV.

The collision continues to be investigated by the coroner’s office. Hill said an autopsy has been scheduled to determine the cause of death.

In an accident earlier this year, two South Carolinians were killed in a crash at the ATV park. A 32-year-old from Little River was driving an ATV with a 46-year-old from Longs as a passenger when they lost control and the ATV crashed through a gate and down a 30-foot ravine.

BLYTHEWOOD – A single vehicle crash that occurred at about 4:30 a.m., Friday, July 15, has taken the life of the driver, according to Master Trooper Brandon J. Bolt of the SC Highway Patrol.

The crash happened on Mullis Road at Claude Bundrick Road, about two miles north of the Town of Blythewood.

A 2008 Maxima with one occupant, was traveling south on Mullis Road when it ran off the right side of the road, hit a ditch and struck a tree, killing the driver, according to the report.

The deceased has been identified by the Richland County Coroner’s office as Joseph Freeman Jr., 53, of Blythewood.

The crash is being investigate by the SCHP.

There are no other details about the crash available at this time.

Says administration is ineffective, unprofessional, uncaring and unreachable.

WINNSBORO – Longtime Fairfield County Detention Center Director Teresa Lawson resigned abruptly today (Thursday, July 14), telling The Voice that she feels undermined by the county administration to the point that she can no longer effectively do her job.

In an exclusive interview with The Voice after submitting her resignation letter, Lawson said the problems have been mounting over the past year, but the most troubling issue occurred recently when she learned that County Administrator Malik Whitaker had posted a job for a deputy director for the Detention Center without her knowledge or input.

She said the current administration under Whitaker, who has been with the county since December 2021, is ineffective, unprofessional, uncaring and unreachable. Lawson said she has worked for the county for almost 40 years and has served as detention center director for about the last 10 years.

“I feel I’ve done a good job. I’ve never been reprimanded or had any problems associated with my work,” Lawson told The Voice.

“Failure to address [the detention center’s] staffing concerns and other critical issues has made this position impossible to succeed in,” Lawson wrote in her resignation letter that was sent to Whitaker with copies to county council members earlier today (Thursday).

The letter gave several examples as to why she felt she must resign effective today.

“I was not consulted with regards to the newly (sic) deputy directior position. I learned of this by watching a county council meeting.

“Even after it (the position) was approved, I was not aware until someone notified me it was on the website as open,” she wrote.

Lawson said in her resignation letter that she originally requested and desperately needed two officer positions – which she later learned had been frozen the previous fiscal year. Again, she said she had no knowledge or input when the positions were frozen.

Lawson told The Voice that instead of reopening the two needed positions, she learned the administration was giving her one of those needed positions and a deputy director that she did not need.

“Raises have been requested and denied,” she wrote to Whitaker. “We are in desperate need of officers on the floor, not in administration. Due to the severe budget cuts implemented, I feel there may be consequences if there are overages.

“As of right now we have 22 violent offenders and several mental health inmates that require additional security,” she wrote.

She wrote that an audit by the SC Association of County’s insurance provider shows that low staffing is at a dangerous level.

“The mental stress and frustration with this administration is too much for me to carry,” Lawson wrote.

“If this continues, it will place my health, the safety of the staff, inmates and the citizens which we protect in jeopardy. The Fairfield County Detention Center like all [the county’s] emergency departments, are in a crash-and-burn state,” she wrote. “I cannot take the risk of being personally liable for any incident because I am the legal, certified director by state law.”

___________________________________________________________

The comment below in regard to Lawson’s resignation was received from Whitaker at 4:04 this afternoon.

“It is with deep regret I am announcing the resignation of Teresa Lawson as Fairfield County Detention Center Director. Ms. Lawson’s resignation is effective today, July 14, 2022. Director Lawson had been a committed employee of Fairfield County for several years.

Captain Harriet Squirewell of the Fairfield County Detention Center is assuming operation command of the Fairfield County Detention Center for a period of 60 days. Captain Squirewell’s appointment is effective July 15, 2022.  Administration will work with Detention Center staff to support continued safe operation of the Fairfield County Detention Center as we work through the process for hiring new and effective leadership.”

WINNSBORO – The South Carolina Department of Commerce’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program has awarded the Town of Winnsboro a grant for $640,300 to upgrade its Jackson Creek wastewater treatment plant with a backup generator. 

The generator will bring the plant in compliance with SC DHEC guidelines, and ensure the wastewater plant will continue to operate when power outages occur.

“This grant is greatly appreciated,” said Winnsboro Town Manager Jason Taylor. “The State’s investment in Winnsboro will allow the Town to improve and expand the services that it provides to its customers.”

Aside from providing the proper uninterrupted operations at the wastewater plant, the generator ensures that Town staff are free to restore power elsewhere during an emergency.

Last winter, the Town had system wide power outages due to an ice storm. Without a backup generator at the wastewater plant, the electric department had to prioritize getting the power back online at the plant over its residential customers.

“The generator will also ensure that the most vulnerable residents can get service restored more quickly in the future,” Taylor said.