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Tag: Winnsboro Department of Public Safety

  • Lawrence named Chief of WDPS

    Gadsen Promoted to Deputy Chief

    Winnsboro Police Chief Kevin Lawrence and Deputy Chief Oren Gadsen | Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO – Two of Winnsboro’s finest have officially been named Chief and Deputy Chief of the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety.

    Kevin Lawrence was sworn in last September as Interim Chief of WDPS, and last month he was elevated to Chief. Veteran Fairfield deputy Oren Gadson was named Deputy Chief.

    Lawrence, 40, studied criminal justice at Charleston Southern University and is a 19-year veteran of law enforcement. 

    Prior to being hired by Winnsboro, Lawrence spent two years as an investigator with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department. Prior to that, he served a short time as a deputy in Aiken, where he grew up and began his law enforcement career.

    Lawrence previously worked for 12 years as a deputy with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department under Sheriff Leon Lott in Columbia, serving in numerous law enforcement areas, including the Community Action Team, the burglary suppression team, on the narcotics team, as a public information officer, and in drug enforcement.

    From 2016 to 2018, Lawrence was a popular deputy on the cop show, LIVE PD.

    After two years on the show, Lawrence worked in the criminal investigation division of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department before coming to Fairfield County.

    “Kevin came highly recommended, and I felt his background in all levels of law enforcement made him well prepared to take on the challenges of some of Winnsboro’s crime issues, particularly the drive-by shootings our Town was experiencing at the time,” Town Manager Jason Taylor said.

    Taylor said he is pleased with the progress in the department since Lawrence took over.

    “Kevin has brought new vitality to the WDPS. He has demonstrated himself well. The department has greatly improved and has been more active in drug and traffic enforcement,” Taylor said. “I am pleased.”

    Gadsen Named Deputy Chief

    Oren Gadsen, who grew up in Fairfield County, worked 29 years in law enforcement, before being named Deputy Chief of the WDPS last month. He has served in the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department, the Chester Police Department, the Fairfield County Detention Center and the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety.

    In addition to his experience working in criminal investigation, undercover drug investigation, field training and other areas of law enforcement, Gadsen is also a certified firefighter.

    Lawrence says Gadsen completes what he calls his great team.

    “He not only has the law enforcement credentials for the job, but he grew up in Fairfield County and knows everybody,” Lawrence said. “That’s important to our work. He’s been doing this job in Fairfield County long before I came here and he provides a wealth of knowledge.”

    Lawrence said he’s proud of the team he’s put together in Winnsboro. Quickly establishing priorities for his department, Lawrence said he wants his officers to not just enforce the laws of the town but he wants them to talk to and get to know the people they meet every day.

    “One of our main jobs as officers is to brighten someone’s day,” he said.

    “As Chief, I’m only going to be as strong as my team, and I’ll put the team we now have in place up against anybody’s. I knew that to be successful in this job, I would have to have the right people around me,” he said. “We have that team.” 

  • Man found dead at motel in Winnsboro

    WINNSBORO – Two incidents last week – one covered by the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety (WDPS) and one by the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office – turned out to be connected and ended in an investigation into the death of a man at an area motel.

    At about 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 14, the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Fairfield Senior Village on Highway 321 N. Bypass. When officers arrived, they were told that an altercation had occurred between two women, and that one of the women ran into the nearby woods.

    A responding officer noted that when he entered the wooded area where the woman was last seen, he found her lying along the edge of the woods. The officer reported that the woman had tied a tree vine around her neck and was having difficulty breathing. The officer said he untangled the vine and called for EMS. The woman was transported to an area hospital. An update on her condition has not been released.

    The incident report identified a witness to the women’s altercation as the husband or boyfriend of the woman who ran into the woods. The man left after the incident and checked into a Winnsboro motel for the night.

    According to authorities, the same man was found unresponsive Friday morning, May 15, in a room at the motel, also located on the Highway 321 N. Bypass.

    At approximately 10:30 a.m., Friday morning, Winnsboro Department of Public Safety (WDPS) officers responded to a call from motel employees who reported they had found a middle-aged man dead on the floor in his room, according to police officials.

    Sources have told The Voice that the man had stayed overnight at the motel and was found when motel workers went to check the room after he failed to check out as expected.

    Officials have said that at this time, foul play is not suspected. The cause of death remains unknown as authorities await autopsy results.

    The incident is under investigation by WDPS and the Fairfield County Coroner’s office.

  • WDPS investigates shooting on Garden St.

    WINNSBORO – The Winnsboro Department of Public Safety is looking for an assailant they say will be charged with assault and battery (weapon) for shooting a 31-year-old male.

    When WDPS officers responded to a shots-fired incident on Garden Street in Winnsboro at about 10:40 p.m. on December 11, they arrived to find a large crowd gathered in front of Wyman’s church. Nearby, a man was lying on the ground next to the back wheel on the passenger side of a green SUV.  Upon further inspection, officers determined that the he had been shot.

    Officers dispatched EMS who transferred the victim to the Providence Fairfield ER.

    The incident is being investigated by the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety. Anyone with information about the incident should contact the WDPS at 803-635-4511.

  • Winnsboro woman charged with animal cruelty

    WINNSBORO – A Winnsboro woman has been charged with Cruelty Towards Animals after one of her dogs was found dead in the street from unknown causes.

    Eileen Crim was arrested on Monday, July 8, after one of her dogs was reported laying on its back, dead, in the roadway in the Liberty Street area of Winnsboro, according to a report filed with the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety.

    The complainant stated that he observed a pit bull dog stiff and his “belly had busted open,” the report stated.

    WDPS officers speculated that the dog had been dead for several days. Officers said they heard a second dog barking from bushes by a nearby residence.

    The officers called the town’s sanitation department to remove the deceased dog and the other dog was picked up by Fairfield County Animal Control.

    On further investigation, officers stated in the report that neighbors said the two dogs were often left unattended without food and water and had no shelter from inclement weather. Officers stated they observed those conditions at the time of their visit to the property.

    While it was reported that Crim, or a member of her family, had since come to the Fairfield County Animal Shelter to retrieve the living dog, that dog remains in the custody of animal control pending a court date, according to Bob Innes, Director of Fairfield Animal Control.

  • Winnsboro restaurant suspension upheld

    WINNSBORO – A Winnsboro restaurant that was shut down last month over concerns it was doubling as a nightclub will remain closed until further notice.

    Meantime, a representative of Winnsboro Bar & Grill thinks the town’s decision to suspend her business license was overkill, saying her establishment is simply a restaurant that also serves drinks.

    Beverly Williams, owner of the business, thinks the town should have issued a warning instead of shutting her restaurant down completely.

    “If they had a problem, they could’ve come to us,” Williams said. “We’ve been locked out of our building. We haven’t been able to access any of our things. We’ve lost so much revenue.”

    On April 16, Winnsboro Town Council voted unanimously to uphold the suspension of Winnsboro Bar & Grill’s business license.

    Last Tuesday’s vote followed a public hearing in which Williams stated she never knowingly intended to violate any town rules.

    “We’re just a family business. We offer a full restaurant-bar, but we’re not a bar. We’ve never advertised as a bar. We’re just a family restaurant that has full bar service, that’s just who we are,” Williams said. “We’ve never had any problems in the community. We’ve always served the community, I’ve served many of the people who are in here now.”

    Town police, however, tell a different story.

    Police Chief John Seibles said officers were alerted to the business after discovering social media and radio ads promoting a large party. He said the town lacks resources to police a large party.

    “We have three officers on the street,” Seibles said. “We didn’t think that area of Winnsboro was conducive to this kind of bar, this kind of club.”

    Investigator Michael Carroll with the town’s police department said fliers began circulating that advertised a “new nightlife party spot for Winnsboro.”

    Carroll told council members that a relative of Williams subleased the property to James Randolph, the former owner of Kandyland, a Columbia area strip club the Richland County Sheriff’s Department recently shut down.

    Richland County deputies responded to a shooting death at Kandyland in December 2018, according to media reports. It remains one of four unsolved murders reported last year.

    “We can’t handle a nightlife party spot on Main Street,” Carroll said. “We just don’t have the officers or manpower to handle something Mr. James Randolph has done in the past.”

    Williams countered that Randolph was advertising a private party. She said her business is not a nightclub.

    “We’ve done everything according to what we thought was policy until we were otherwise informed it wasn’t,” she said. “We had no reason to think we were doing anything wrong.”

    In a telephone interview with The Voice, Williams said when she originally obtained her business license in July, the business wasn’t serving alcohol.

    Williams said the restaurant later obtained its liquor license from the S.C. Department of Revenue. She said the town’s decision to suspend her business license was over a mere technicality, one she’s happy to resolve.

    “If we reapply for a business license, it means we’ll have to reapply for all of our other licenses as well,” Williams said. “We can’t just open right back up. We’re trying to figure out how we’ll proceed from here.”

    According to a March 28 police report, Williams stated on her business license application that no alcohol would be sold, and that there wouldn’t be any coin-operated machines on the property.

    Officers, however, observed bottles of liquor inside, as well as a coin operated pool table, the report said.

    “Did you not think there was anything wrong if there was alcohol in the building, coin operated machines, and the business license said there wasn’t supposed to be anything like that in there?” Mayor Roger Gaddy asked during the hearing.

    Williams said the business has communicated with town officials via social media about the coin-operated machines since February, but didn’t address the alcohol bottles.

    “My main concern is the alcohol. Certainly it’s a clear violation of what your business is supposed to have,” Gaddy said. “I think the suspension is appropriate.”

    Gaddy said he’s not opposed to a business that sells alcohol or has a coin-operated machine in its business. He said Winnsboro Bar & Grill is welcome to reapply for a new business license.

    “This does not preclude you applying for other business licenses with the appropriate boxes checked,” Gaddy said. “Unfortunately in this situation, and I’m sorry you’re having to go through that, but clearly there’s a discrepancy.”

  • WDPS captures bank robber

    WINNSBORO – Five months after Winnsboro’s First Citizen’s Bank was robbed, the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety has arrested a Connecticut man for the robbery.

    Hart

    It was the result of diligent police work and cooperation with other law enforcement agencies around the country that led to the capture and arrest of Stuart Hart, 35, for the bank heist, WDPS Police Chief Seibles said.

    “Hart’s identity was confirmed after WDPS officers collected DNA and finger prints from the crime scene after the robbery,” according to WDPS Investigator Michael Carroll.

    “We ran it through the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) to confirm the ID,” Carroll said, “then worked with the U. S. Marshall’s service to track Hart to New Haven, Connecticut where the Marshall’s service made the arrest on Tuesday, March 26.”

    Captain John Durham and Carroll then traveled to New Haven on Saturday to transfer Hart back to the Fairfield County Detention Center where he is being held on charges of ‘Entering a financial institution with intent to deprive it of funds’ and ‘Strong arm robbery.’

    Wearing a Batman hat and a Bob Marley t-shirt, Hart entered the bank shortly before 6 p.m., on Oct. 12, and handed a bank teller a note demanding money, according to a report on the incident.

    The report stated that the teller said she had observed the suspect standing outside the bank for a while, talking on a cell phone.

    Witnesses in the bank during the robbery reported that the suspect left the bank on foot and turned to the right. A video on the outside of the bank showed the suspect walking through the drive-thru area outside the bank.

    Hart is being held without bond.

  • Police shut down planned nightclub

     

    Officer Adam Bailey and Captain John Durham stand guard as the restaurant is secured. | Photos: Barbara Ball

    WINNSBORO — It could be last call for a Winnsboro restaurant that apparently had plans to operate as a nightclub, according to police records.

    Town police have temporarily shut down Winnsboro Bar and Grill, in the 100 block of North Congress Street, which previously operated as a barbecue restaurant.

    More recently, though, the business started promoting a large nighttime grand opening party, prompting citizen complaints to police, said Winnsboro Police Chief John Seibles.

    WDPS Investigator Michael Carroll posts a notice of suspension on the front door of the former Winnsboro Bar & Grill in downtown Winnsboro

    “When the community is concerned about something, naturally I’m already concerned,” he said.

    Seibles said the department also learned of the party plans through social media, leading police on Friday to respond to the business. A notice of suspension was placed on the door Friday morning.

    “The purpose of the voiding of the business license is because the license was obtained through fraud, misrepresentation, a false or misleading statement, evasion or suppression of a material fact in the license application,” the notice states.

    A hearing concerning the suspension has been scheduled for April 16 at the Winnsboro Town Council meeting, the notice continues.

    According to a police report, Winnsboro Bar and Grill stated on its business license application that alcohol would not be served, nor would coin operated machines be located on the property.

    Police, however, said the opposite was true.

    “Upon visiting the business, I could clearly see open bottles of alcohol in the business as well as coin operated pool tables,” a Winnsboro police report stated.

    Images posted to the business’ Facebook page also display large quantities of liquor bottles as well as two pool tables.

    The Winnsboro police report identifies James Randolph as the person opening the Winnsboro club.

    “The business is clearly being advertised as a night club and had fraudulently obtained a business license as a grill,” WDPD investigator Michael Carroll stated in the police report. “I checked the public Facebook section for Mr. Randolph and did locate several posts and videos announcing a night club and alcohol to be consumed on the property.”

    Police contacted the property owner, who told investigators that he had no idea this was occurring at the business. He asked law enforcement to remain on site for his safety while he had the locks changed, the report said.

    Randolph was the proprietor of the former Kandyland nightclub in Columbia that the Richland County Sheriff’s Office shut down a few months ago, the report continues.

    Kandyland had been operating as an adult entertainment venue, according to media reports. In December 2018, a shooting death occurred there, and remains one of four unsolved murders from 2018.

    Seibles said Winnsboro police have not received any indications that the Winnsboro nightspot planned to operate as an adult entertainment establishment. Seibles also said police have not received any other criminal complaints about the business. He said he wants things to stay that way.

    “It seems to me like it [the club] was targeting a young crowd of people,” Seibles said. “It was put out as a humongous party and along with that comes a lot of problems. Naturally we’ve got to be proactive.”

  • Update: Shoot out near Drawdy Park

    WINNSBORO: The Voice received clarification this morning that two people, not three as previously reported, were shot in last night’s shooting in the Drawdy Park area behind the Fairfield County Administration Building in Winnsboro.

    One victim was shot in the leg and another was possibly grazed by a bullet.

    A third victim, who was injured from an alleged beating, was taken to Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia.

    The Voice will continue to update as more information becomes available.

    Updated 10/25/18 12:59 p.m.

    WINNSBORO – Three people were shot in the area of Drawdy Park behind the Fairfield County Administration Building about 7 p.m. Wednesday evening, according to county officials. All three were taken to Fairfield Memorial Hospital where officials say one victim is in critical condition and was transferred to Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia. A second victim was shot in the leg and another was grazed by a bullet.

    Officials report there were possibly multiple shooters and that the shots were fired following a fight that broke out among a large number of teens gathered in the park.

    No one is in custody at this time.

    The investigation is being conducted by the Winnsboro Department of Public Safety and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

    The Voice will update as more information becomes available.

    10/24/18 8:41 p.m.

  • Winnsboro Dept. of Public Safety seeks robbery suspect

    WINNSBORO – The Winnsboro Department of Public Safety is seeking information on the identity of a man suspected of an armed robbery of First Citizens Bank in Winnsboro on Oct. 12.

    A black male wearing a Batman hat and a Bob Marley t-shirt handed a bank teller a note demanding money shortly before 6 p.m., according to an incident report.

    The report stated that the teller said she had observed the suspect standing outside the bank for a while, talking on a cell phone.

    Witnesses who were in the bank during the robbery reported that the suspect left the bank on foot and turned to the right. A video on the outside of the bank shows the suspect walking through the drive-thru area outside the bank.

    Anyone with information on the identity of this suspect is being asked to contact Lieutenant Mike Carrell at (803) 635-4511.

  • Randal Sisk arrested for animal cruelty

    WINNSBORO – A Winnsboro man has been arrested after a Winnsboro Department of Public Safety (WDPS) officer reported two dogs in a back yard on Hillcrest chained to a tree and tangled in the chain so that one of the dogs could not reach shade. The report also stated that the dogs did not have food, water or shelter.

    Sisk

    Randal Flay Sisk, 57, owner of the dogs, was charged with animal cruelty. Sisk, who was not at home at the time the dogs were discovered at about 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 12, turned himself in to authorities at about 1:30 p.m. that day.

    The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department and Fairfield County Animal Control were contacted, and Animal Control took both dogs to the county shelter.

    One of the dogs, a tan and white male mixed breed, was clipped to a cable on an overhead run in Sisk’s back yard, the report states. A black male mixed breed dog was not wearing a collar, but was secured to the overhead run by a chain tied around its neck.

    After examining both dogs, Veterinarian Dr. Robert Chappell, reported that the tan dog suffered from chronic severe dermatitis (mange) and needed immediate medical treatment, including flea and tick treatment, antibiotics and antifungal treatments.

    Sisk was booked at the Fairfield County Detention Center and released on a $1,000 bond.

    A spokesperson for the animal shelter said the dogs will be held at the shelter until the case is dispensed.