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BLYTHEWOOD – In order to allow crews to construct part of the new SCOUT railroad overpass on I-77, SCDOT will conduct temporary nighttime closures of I-77 Northbound from mile marker 24 to 27 in Richland County.

The first closure will occur Monday, May 5 from 9 p.m. through Tuesday, May 6 at 6 a.m. Northbound lanes will be closed again Wednesday, May 7 at 9 p.m. until Thursday, May 8 at 6 a.m.

As part of these closures, a signed detour route will be put in place. Drivers will take Exit 24 and turn right on to Wilson Boulevard (US 21) and then turn left on to Blythewood Road where they will re-enter I-77 Northbound.

SCDOT encourages drivers to slow down and pay attention to crews and signs when driving near work zones.

COLUMBIA – The Fairfield Central High School band director, Timothy R. Bryant, 28, has been arrested and charged with 3463-Sex / Sexual battery with a student 16 or 17 years of age, no aggravated force or coercion.

The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Richland County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Unit on Friday, April 25, regarding a sexual battery that had occurred in Richland County, according to the incident report. 

A Fairfield County Sheriff’s office investigator stated that the suspect had been having sexual relations with the victim, a student, off Broad River Road in Richland County. 

During the Fairfield County Sheriff’s office investigation, the suspect admitted this to deputies on body camera, the report stated.

In response to the arrest and charges, Fairfield County School District Superintendent Dr. Tony Hemingway had this to say: “I want the parents in the community to know that our job as educators is to commit to student safety and learning.

“Once we learned of this, we acted swiftly to investigate and report it to authorities. And we will continue to honor that commitment to student safety and learning,” Hemingway stated.

This incident is under investigation by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. More information will be posted as it becomes available.

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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.

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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.

This investigation is still ongoing.

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Related: Three arrested in Blythewood shooting, Female shot, businesses damaged during teen shootout in Blythewood, Teens fire shots in downtown Blythewood

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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

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.

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 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.

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.

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Related: What happened at Doko’s fireworks event?, Teens turn Doko Meadows movie night fun into mayhem

RIDGEWAY – Fairfield County Fire Service responded to Lebanon United Presbyterian Church in Ridgeway around 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 7 for a smoking church van, according to an incident report from the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office.

Upon arrival, firefighters extinguished the flames and found the driver’s side window smashed with a brick, the report stated.

Simultaneously, sheriff’s deputies responding to an alarm at the church discovered two bricks had been thrown through a window, according to the report.

SLED Arson and ATF agents, and Fairfield Fire Service join the Sheriff’s office in the ongoing investigation.