Kershaw County SC

Kershaw County's Got Talent--The Auditions!: 3/19/2012, 6:00pm at Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County - The State (Columbia)

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:02:53 PST

Monday, Mar 19 6:00p to 8:00p

at Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County, Camden, SC

Calling all Kershaw County residents 6 years and up. Do you sing, dance, juggle? Think you are a comedian, play an instrument or have some other great talent?

Check out all rules and regulations at www.fineartscenter.org.

March 19: North Central High School, 6 p.m.
March 20: Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County, 6 p. read more

Categories: Music, Performing Arts

Creator: jpetersonfac

Read more here: http://events.thestate.com/camden-sc/events/show/245065324-kershaw-countys-got-talentthe-auditions#storylink=cpy

Kershaw County's Got Talent--The Auditions!: 3/19/2012, 6:00pm at Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County - The State (Columbia)

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Bloodhounds, deputies seeking bank robbery suspect - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:15:23 PST

KERSHAW COUNTY, SC (WIS) - The Kershaw County Sheriff's Office is searching for a bank robbery suspect this afternoon.

Sheriff Jim Matthews says a man entered the First Palmetto Bank in Lugoff armed with a handgun around 3:30 p.m. Matthews says the man demanded money and then fled the bank.

Bloodhounds are in the area searching for the suspect.

No one was injured in the robbery.

We'll have more on this story as soon as it becomes available.

Bloodhounds, deputies seeking bank robbery suspect - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

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Kershaw Co. residents angry over sewer fee - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:44:29 PST

LAKE WATEREE, SC (WIS) - Kershaw County residents are upset over a tax they're paying each year for a service they're not receiving.

Floyd Hinson is owns his own septic tank, but says the county charges him $9 a year for sewer services he doesn't even use.

"It's not a whole lot of money but a lot of people is paying it," said Hinson.

County Councilman Jimmy Jones estimates 12,000 people just like Hinson pay the fee but don't use it.

"They're never going to see sewer service in their lifetime, yet they're going to pay a sewer tax," said Jones.

Jones was against the fee's proposal 5 years ago. In a 5 - 2 vote, he says county council passed the expense anyways. It requires all county residents to pay the fee in order to improve the sewer system.

"County borrowed $6 million from the state revolving fund," said Jones. "This tax is paying that debt off."

Now it's a debt Hinson must continue to pay.

"If I go down and buy a hot dog at one window, I expect a hot dog at the next window for my money," he said.

Kershaw Co. residents angry over sewer fee - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

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Elgin council calls special meeting to denounce plot - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:42:53 PST

Elgin town councilman, Larry Risvold, speaks out against Kershaw County's DUI traffic enforcement in an online video posted last weekend. The Highway Patrol charged Risvold with DUI last February; nearly a year to the day this video was posted.

Kershaw County Patriots leader, Jeff Mattox, tells a crowd in Cayce that he's devised a "tactic" to deal with what he calls a "police state" in Kershaw County.

ELGIN, SC (WIS) – Less than a week after WIS aired a video showing an Elgin councilman and the former Kershaw County GOP co-chair discussing plans to "harass" officers there, Elgin council plans to vote on a resolution to support local law enforcement.

Click here to watch Elgin Councilman Larry Risvold speaking out against DUI enforcement.

PREVIOUS STORY

Elgin councilman involved in plot to ‘harass' Kershaw Co. deputies

After watching the video last Wednesday with council members, Elgin Mayor Brad Hanley told WIS, "We were surprised. We were concerned. It's a viewpoint we hadn't heard expressed before…it was concerning."

Hanley helped draft a resolution to present to council at 5:30 Tuesday afternoon, showing full support of the Elgin Police Department, the Kershaw County Sheriff's Office and the SC Highway Patrol's work to enforce traffic laws and to "stop DUI." The resolution reads the departments, "provide security and protection for town and county residents and visitors," and, "provide for us what is known as ‘the thin blue line' between a lawful civilized society and lawlessness."

The point of the move states, "…we unequivocally support the way the Kershaw County Sheriff's Office and the Elgin Police Department conduct themselves and their law enforcement activities, with honor and courage, and in particular support their involvement in highway safety checks with the S.C. Highway Patrol…in order to reduce DUI and other crimes that might otherwise go undetected."

Elgin councilman Larry Risvold, by phone Monday night, declined to participate in the story, but said he would be at the special-called meeting Tuesday.

In a speech before the "Cayce Mafia" last Friday, Risvold compared the county's traffic stops to Nazi Germany, "It's called a safety checkpoint and what happens is your car stops, an individual officer comes up there and says, ‘Can I see your papers,' Sound familiar? Sounds like another foreign country doesn't it," Risvold asks the crowd.

"The other cop walks around, peeking in the windows to see if you have anything they can arrest you for and if they can't find anything there, then they let you go. In the meantime, you were stopped for being a good citizen and doing nothing wrong," Risvold said.

A Trooper arrested and charged Risvold with driving under the influence last year after the officer said he spotted Risvlold's red Chevrolet driving on the wrong side of the road. The patrolman wrote in his report that Risvold blew a .10 on the data master test. The legal limit is .08.

"Being his personal views, he doesn't represent Elgin, he doesn't represent town council when he's making those comments; he doesn't represent the people of Kershaw County," Hanley said.

Risvold is a member of the Kershaw County Patriots, a branch of the state's TEA Party movement. In the video, Risvold tells the Cayce group that his group's membership fell from 260 members to three, after WIS aired a series of reports last year, when fellow KCP member Jeff Mattox clicked the "like" link on a Facebook article titled, ‘When Should You Shoot A Cop?' Mattox was the county's GOP co-chairman at the time and the party removed him after reports concerning the article aired.

Elgin council cannot remove Risvold over the pending DUI charge, but Hanley said council would if it could, "Should he step down," WIS asked, "Well, he might not be as effective as he once could have been, so it might serve the town well if he does. That would be his decision; we'll wait and see," Hanley told WIS.

Elgin Council meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The public is encouraged to attend.

Elgin council calls special meeting to denounce plot - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

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KERSHAW COUNTY | SC teen dies in Kershaw Co. crash | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:52:17 PST

KERSHAW COUNTY --

Ryan Simpson, a student at Camden High School, died in a one-car crash early Sunday morning in a residential area about two miles north of Camden in Kershaw County.

Simpson, 17, lost control of his 2003 Ford Mustang and it hit a tree, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

“We don’t know where he was coming from or where he was headed,” said Kershaw County Coroner Johnny Fellers.

Simpson was not wearing a seat belt.

The crash happened about 12:50 a.m. on Haile Street.

The coroner’s office and the highway patrol are investigating.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/02/19/3754972/sc-teen-dies-in-kershaw-co-crash.html#storylink=cpy

KERSHAW COUNTY | SC teen dies in Kershaw Co. crash | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC

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Troopers investigate deadly Kershaw County crash - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:27:59 PST

KERSHAW COUNTY, SC (WIS) - The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating a single-car crash that killed one person early Sunday morning.

Troopers say a driver lost control of a Ford Mustang on Haile Street north of Camden and hit a tree. Investigators say the driver was not wearing a seat belt and died. There were no other people in the car.

The Kershaw County Coroner has not yet released the victim's name.

The crash remains under investigation.

Troopers investigate deadly Kershaw County crash - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

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Fighting to keep drugs out of Elgin neighborhood - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:02:40 PST

ELGIN, SC (WIS) - For 40 years, Lela McGhee has called the Elgin neighborhood of Dixonville home.

"I never would have thought this little place would have got like it was," said McGhee.

The 61-year-old says she's seen her neighborhood change from a safe community where neighbors looked out for each other to a place known for something else.

"Gangsters, dope addicts, crack," she said. "And that wasn't here when we moved here."

"I was so afraid that some of our kids were going to get hurt," said McGhee. " I was so afraid there were going to be drive by shootings. I started once to move but I said no, I paid for this. I'm too old to get out there and start over again."

It was complaints like McGhee's that helped Kershaw County Sheriff's deputies nab four suspected drug dealers.

Sheriff Jim Matthews says lately they've arrested more than 40 people for drug related crimes in Dixonville.

"We're not going to let up," said Matthews. "We think we got the major guys off the street. But that doesn't mean we're going away.

McGhee has faith the Sheriff's Department will run the drug dealers out of her neighborhood.

"I'm glad to see it's getting cleaned up," said McGhee. "Probably got a little bit more to do but I'm quite sure Sheriff Mathews will get it clean. This has been the quietest I've ever seen in a long time."

Fighting to keep drugs out of Elgin neighborhood - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

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KERSHAW | Rock Hill woman airlifted after car overturned in Kershaw | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:39:09 PST

A Rock Hill woman was airlifted to a hospital in Richland County after the car she was riding in swerved off the road and overturned Friday night about a mile and a half south of Kershaw, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Chantal Meadows, 23, of Tea Berry Lane in Rock Hill, and three others were taken to hospitals when the 1990 Ford Mustang they were traveling in went off the left side of Shop Road, hit an embankment and overturned, Trooper Billy Elder said. The accident happened at 10:40 p.m. Friday.

Meadows was riding in the back seat behind driver Darrell Jason Branham, 32, of Old Georgetown Road in Kershaw. Ashley Roberts, 28, of Winterwood Road and Michael Branham, 22, of Lockhart Road both of Kershaw were also in the car.

Meadows, Darrell and Michaeal Branham were all airlifted to Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia. Roberts was taken by ambulance to Springs Memorial Hospital in Lancaster. Their conditions are unknown.

Investigators determined that Meadows, Darrell Branham and Jason Branham were not wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident. It's still unclear whether Roberts was restrained.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/02/18/3753174/rock-hill-woman-airlifted-after.html#storylink=cpy

KERSHAW | Rock Hill woman airlifted after car overturned in Kershaw | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC

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Small Kershaw community fed up with drug dealers : News : MidlandsConnect.com

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:14:57 PST

Police have raided the community of Dixonville 3 times in the past month, arresting several people on drug charges.

Elgin, S.C. (WACH) - Keisha Tucker recently moved back to the Dixonville area of Kershaw County to help her mom, who’s battling bone cancer.

She says she didn't realize she was moving back into the middle of a drug battle between police and neighborhood trouble makers.

"For us to come outside and see the cops driving around all the time, it's frightening.”

Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews says he was aware of the drug problem in this small community before taking office last year.

"That place has a history of drug activity and a place where people take stolen property and trade it in for crack cocaine."

In the past two weeks his deputies arrested 8 people on possession or distribution of crack cocaine or marijuana. All of this activity taking place within a few hundred yards of an elementary school.

"Paying a bail bondsman for getting your freedom so you can sell more drugs, it’s like overhead,” adds Matthews. “We pay for electricity; part of their overhead is bonds."

Tucker, a substitute teacher, says she can't believe these people would choose a life of crime. She wants to earn a degree in criminal justice so she can make a positive impact on her community.

"I would like to change the minds, and the way people think, because a lot of people don't understand the law, that's why they misinterpret it, because they don't have the true understanding of what it means."

In the meantime, Tucker wants to help start a neighborhood crime watch to establish order and peace in Dixonville.

Small Kershaw community fed up with drug dealers : News : MidlandsConnect.com

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Councilman involved in plot to ‘harass' Kershaw Co. deputies - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:44:51 PST

Kershaw County Patriots leader, Jeff Mattox, tells a crowd in Cayce that he's devised a "tactic" to deal with what he calls a "police state" in Kershaw County.

KERSHAW COUNTY, SC (WIS) – An online video posted over the weekend details a plot to "harass" Kershaw County deputies over one group's anger about what it calls, "the police state of South Carolina." Elgin town councilman Larry Risvold and Kershaw County Patriots leader Jeff Mattox spoke to a group in Cayce about their plans last Saturday.

Risvold, an Elgin mayoral candidate last fall, told the crowd in the video that his Patriots group had fallen from 260 members to three after WIS reported last July that Mattox clicked the "like" tab on a Facebook article titled, "When Should You Shoot A Cop." Mattox lost his co-chairmanship in the county's Republican Party after the reports.

"The article was not about killing cops and all this other stuff," Risvold told the crowd, "It was a thought provoking article to make you think, when is enough, enough? Tyranny; when the Nazis packed up all the Jews, it was too late to say something after they'd been taken off to the camps."

Risvold then blamed the Kershaw County Sheriff's Office for "pressuring" business members of his group, which he claims cut its membership.

Risvold, who the Highway Patrol charged with driving under the influence nearly one year to the date of the video, then spoke out against what his group calls, "the police state of South Carolina," and compares law enforcement's efforts in stopping drunk drivers to Nazi Germany, "It's called a safety checkpoint and what happens is your car stops, an individual officer comes up there and says, ‘Can I see your papers,' Sound familiar? Sounds like another foreign country doesn't it," Risvold asks the crowd.

"This is a dangerous situation," Mattox told the crowd, "The sheriff really has us concerned."

Mattox told the group that Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews, a retired Drug Enforcement Agency agent, is part of a national trend of former federal law enforcers who have won sheriff's elections. "It looks like it's a concerted effort, in order to kind of infiltrate the federal government into local affairs."

Mattox, who refused to apologize for clicking the "like" link on the facebook article that cost him his GOP position, said Matthews and county council used the county's highest-in-the-state deadly DUI numbers as a ploy to gain more law enforcement authority. Mattox argued that the county's DUI rate was, "not as big a problem as he's (Matthews) has made it out to be."

In 2009, the Kershaw County coroner's office worked 18 alcohol/drug influenced-related traffic deaths. That number fell to 14 in 2010 and after Matthews installed a four-man traffic unit in 2011, the county's traffic deaths fell to 10; the lowest number of people killed on Kershaw County roads in nearly a decade, according to county officials.

Mattox argued that the number of people killed, when compared to the county's 60,000-plus population, isn't a concern to him, "If we do a little math, that's .000623 percent of the population that died on highways. Due to drunk drivers and all," Mattox told the gathering, "It's not a massive; like everybody's out drinking and driving. It's not as big a problem as he's made it out to be."

Mattox echoed councilman Risvold's thoughts over what their group perceives as a "massive show of force and thuggary against the citizens," when describing the safety checkpoints around the county. "It's just a massive fishing expedition, catching all the fish in the sea, just to catch a few," Mattox said in the video.

The Kershaw County Patriots, according to Mattox, have a plan to fight back, "We're already planning our tactics against this. We're going to do the same thing they're doing to us; harass them," Mattox told the Lexington County audience. "When we find out that there's a check point, we're going to have a mass of people that go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. We've got to stop it."

The group plans to use "young people" to use social networking Web sites to warn drivers of Kershaw County check points and to let their supporters know where the check points are, in order to participate in the "harassment" of officers there, according to Mattox. Another "tactic" would involve putting up yard signs near the check points to warn drivers of the check point, and offer detours around them.

"They're going to continue their thug action until people stand up and say no," Mattox said.

WIS went to both Mattox and Risvold's homes and left a written note, for their comments on this story. As of this request, neither man has returned our calls.

Councilman involved in plot to ‘harass' Kershaw Co. deputies - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

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SC librarian named to New York Times top 10 list - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:36:33 PST

LUGOFF, SC (WIS) - Inside the Doby's Mill Elementary School Library, the traditional library is a concept as old as many of the books on the shelf.

Sure there is instruction from the librarians and order in the way the books are catalogued, but the silence that defines nearly every other library in the country is a foreign concept there.

Betsy Long is responsible for all the racket, but if you were to tell her the way she was doing things in her library was incorrect, she'd tell you to ask the New York Times how they felt about her method.

After all, according to them, Long is one of the top 10 librarians in the country.

Long leads yoga in the morning, track club in the afternoons and is a catalyst for noisy reading in between. Principal Virginia Catoe is one of Long's biggest fans. After all, she nominated Long.

"She thinks outside the box," said Catoe. "When I say that, I don't just mean she comes up with these creative ideas and throws something out there to happen, she makes big things happen for these kids."

It's now lunch time at Doby Mill, but you won't find Long hanging in the teachers lounge. She heads up "Lunch Bunch." Many girls give up cafeteria time to have book discussions in the library. It's a group of 5th graders like Brooke Shaffer.

"Ms. Long is amazing," said Shaffer. "Everyday she does 'Lunch Bunch' with us. Right now we're reading 'Love, Aubrey' and I really like it!"

Long was not only the only elementary school librarian to be named to the top 10 list, she was also the only one from the state of South Carolina. It's an honor not lost on Long.

"There are so many great librarians in this state and country and it's so amazing that they chose me," said Long.

Long will celebrate now, but she'll need to do it on her own time. After all, the kids won't be able to find all those books on their own.

SC librarian named to New York Times top 10 list - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

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Kershaw County nabs four drug suspects in Dixonville area : News : MidlandsConnect.com

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:54:38 PST

KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. (WACH)- An investigation of a Kershaw County neighborhood nabs four suspects on drug charges.

Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office investigators arrested four men Monday night on drug charges after a four month operation targeting the “Dixonville” area of Kershaw County, which is known for drug trafficking. Brandon Dixon, 23, Terrence Dixon, 24, Antwan Simmons, 32, and James Arthur, 22, all face multiple counts of distribution of crack cocaine. All four have previous narcotics arrests.

According to Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews, KCSO narcotics investigators have been targeting drug activity in the Dixonville area of Kershaw County since he took office.

Matthews said, "This was the result of numerous complaints from the community. Citizens were very concerned about the constant drug dealing activity in this small area of the county which sits adjacent to a school.”

“This has been going on for years and it was high time that we devoted some serious assets to clean this area up. I am hoping this will end the drug dealing in this area, at least for the present time. We will continue to monitor this area and address future drug activity when it arises," said the Sheriff.

Kershaw County nabs four drug suspects in Dixonville area : News : MidlandsConnect.com

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Happy Meal leads deputies to bust multi-state counterfeit cash r - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:44:23 PST

Ryan Scott Jordan (Source: Kershaw County Sheriff's Office)

(Source: Kershaw County Sheriff's Office)

KERSHAW COUNTY, SC (WIS) - An item as innocent as its name -- the Happy Meal -- led Kershaw County deputies to uncover a multi-state counterfeiting ring.

The Kershaw County Sheriff's Office says 40-year-old Ryan Scott Jordan passed a counterfeit bill to purchase the meal at a Lugoff McDonalds.

Deputies were called to the McDonalds on Sunday and found Jordan subdued by two civilians after another man accused him of using the counterfeit bill.

Jordan was arrested at the scene for public disorderly conduct and for providing false information to law enforcement. He was held, however, on forgery charges.

On Monday, the sheriff's department contacted the US Secret Service about the case and the two agencies performed a search on Jordan's Hasty Road residence.

Upon completion of the search, deputies found $4,930 worth of counterfeit currency and equipment used to manufacture fake $100, $20, $10 and $5 bills.

Deputies say Jordan subsequently confessed to passing the fake cash in North Carolina, Georgia and several counties in South Carolina.

Jordan remains at the Kershaw County Detention Center on forgery charges, and faces additional federal charges by the US Secret Service. He is currently wanted by Georgia authorities for violation of probation for multiple counts of forgery.

Jordan could face a $1 million fine and up to 30 years in prison.

Happy Meal leads deputies to bust multi-state counterfeit cash r - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

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Vendetta: Police say nurse vandalized tobacco stores for vengean - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:23:32 PST

CAMDEN, SC (WIS) - If you want to find a smoke in Camden, South Carolina, Cash Pawn and Jewelry has quite a selection.

But lately, James Truesdale's shop looks a lot like the competition, The Tobacco Corner, down the road. "How?" you might ask? Seems they've both got similar markings and paint jobs they didn't ask for.

Police say Pamela Wood was arrested late Monday afternoon. Surveillance video shows her ripping a cigarette sign down outside Truesdale's store on Sunday before she started painting.

Camden's Police Chief say confessed to doing it in Sumter and they think there were nearly a other dozen cases like the one at The Tobacco Corner.

"The re-occuring theme is 'kills' placed on these buildings, then there seems to be a message and the message seems to be 'these products kill,'" said the chief.

Police think Wood saw an opportunity, painting the place early on Sunday morning. They think she did not see she'd been caught on tape before and the store owner was already on the lookout.

Now, Truesdale has caught her on tape twice. Police have her in custody after someone tipped them off. It seems there was emotion involved. Wood is a nurse practitioner who has specialized in addiction.

"It sounds like she has a message, but she's going about delivering that message in the wrong way because what she's doing is a violation of the law," said the chief.

Despite the motivation, it seems a crime of passion is still a crime.

Wood is in the Kershaw County Detention Center charged with seven counts of malicious injury.

Vendetta: Police say nurse vandalized tobacco stores for vengean - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

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Pursuit in Kershaw County Forces Vehicles Off Road | wltx.com

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:54:46 PST

Davon Jermaine Mickle (left), Marcus Antwon Greene

Written byTony Santaella

Kershaw County, SC (WLTX) - Kershaw County deputies have arrested two suspects after a pursuit Monday morning.
Officers say 24-year-old Marcus Antwon Greene and 26-year-old Davon Jermaine Mickle are in custody.
The two face multiple charges.
Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews says just before 11 a.m., an investigator got a call of a fight in progress at Young's Store on US 1 in Lugoff. The officer then saw a vehicle that matched the description of the incident driving a few minutes later on US 1.
Matthews says the pursuit went through several neighborhoods, running cars off the road. The pursuit ended when the suspects' car ran off the road and into a ditch.
The suspects then ran from the car, according to deputies. Officers say Green was arrested while trying to break into the back of a home; Mickle was caught when a homeowner saw him behind a home's storage shed.
As of Monday afternoon, the men were being held at the Kershaw County Detention Center.

Pursuit in Kershaw County Forces Vehicles Off Road | wltx.com

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Suspect on the run after crashing car during chase - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:51:56 PST

ELGIN, SC (WIS) - Kershaw County deputies are searching in an area near Rabon Cir. and Highway 1 for a suspect who crashed a car after a chase.

Deputies did not say why the person was being pursued, but said they believe the suspect is now on foot in that area.

Authorities have not yet released a description of the suspect.

Suspect on the run after crashing car during chase - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

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Kershaw County parent questions education funding : News : MidlandsConnect.com

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:03:43 PST

Robert Price, who has a daughter in the Kershaw school system, is launching a petition drive to change the formula state lawmakers use to fund education. / Adam Pinsker

Camden, S.C. (WACH) - An electrician by day, Robert Price spends most of his free time on somewhat of a crusade. He wants to change the way education is funded in South Carolina.

"Other than sit around and talk in the bars and complain or talk at church and complain, or talk at work and complain; what can I do to really be effective to help open the eyes of the political people who fund the education system?”

Price, who has a daughter in the Kershaw school system, is launching a petition drive to change the formula state lawmakers use to fund education.

He says the law requires the state spend $2,790 on each student every year; but they're only spending $1,880. Price wants to know where that money is going.

"Not one dime has the governor planning to give to public education, out of 900 million dollars. There’s something wrong with that picture, I don't care if Picasso paints it."

Kershaw school officials are painting an optimistic picture of this year's budget. District superintendent Frank Morgan says in an online survey, residents listed reducing class size and giving pay raises to teachers as their priorities.

"Our hope is the revenue picture is good enough, to be able to bring back some of the things we've lost over the past few years,” adds Morgan.

Price’s petition isn't legally binding regardless he says he's collected 2,000 signatures and hopes to reach 25,000 by the summer.

Kershaw County parent questions education funding : News : MidlandsConnect.com

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Video poker making ‘back door’ return to South Carolina - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:56:52 PST

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – Within the past two weeks, Kershaw County authorities have seized 10 video machines that the Attorney General and State Law Enforcement Division agents consider illegal video poker machines. But, the company behind the machines says they're legal and plan to fight for their machines in court.

Slideshow

Click here to view photos of the machines.

Wednesday morning, Kershaw County deputies stopped on a truck on Interstate 20 for a traffic violation. During a roadside investigation, deputies found four video gaming machines that investigators confiscated as illegal poker machines, according to sheriff Jim Matthews.

SLED, Kershaw County and the Attorney General's office continue investigating the machines and from where they came.

On Jan. 26, Kershaw County deputies raided two convenience stores and seized six illegal poker machines. Using an undercover investigator, deputies went into the West Oil Markette on Highway 1 in Lugoff. Deputies took the machines and have charges pending.

The same night, deputies hit the C and M Market on Highway 1 in Elgin. Inside, investigators said they found two poker machines disguised as a calling cards vending machines. The machines had labels that read "Magic Minutes," and advertised the sale of phone minutes with the option to play various poker games. The machines allowed the player to receive cash payouts.

Inside one of the machines, investigators found three $100 bills.

"These machines are nothing more than the old Pot O' Gold machines," Kershaw County investigator Jamey Jones said. "If you take these Magic Minutes stickers off, you can see this is the Lucky Sweepstakes Pot O' Gold," Jones said. The machines, according to Jones, were repurposed illegal gaming machines that use a calling card purchase as a front to play outlawed video poker.

"It's clearly a scam," Kershaw County sheriff Jim Matthews said, "There is a huge amount of money behind this whole thing. There's a lot of influence peddling going on in a lot of areas; including law enforcement. And, what they have done is taken an old video poker machine, they've put a new box on it, they put some stickers on it to say this is not a gambling machine and that's supposed to make it legal."

The Magic Minutes business admits their machines are one of the ones confiscated by sheriff's departments across the state. The problems started in Horry County back in August and several Magic Minutes' machines have been confiscated in Darlington, Chesterfield, Florence, Richland and Lexington Counties.

By law, any video gaming machines that law enforcement thinks violates the state's poker machine ban, a magistrate had to inspect the machine and determine whether it's a legal gaming machine. Magic Minutes' owners have magistrates' opinions from all counties, finding Magic Minutes' machines comply with the video poker laws.

That's until last week when an Horry County magistrate took a look at a Magic Minutes machine and ruled that the machine was a illegal video poker machine. It's the first ruling against Magic Minutes.

Now, Magic Minutes is waiting on another test in Kershaw County on the latest round of machines, which were seized Jan. 26. A Kershaw County magistrate signed an order on August 2, 2011, finding that the particular Magic Minutes machine he inspected was not an illegal poker machine.

Another magistrate will make the call on the latest machines. A court date has not been set yet.

"Our intention is not at all to try to legalize gambling," Magic Minutes owner LW Flynn told WIS. Flynn founded the company, with his wife Kathy listed as the co-owner. Flynn is a former 5^th Solicitor's Circuit investigator under former solicitor Barney Giese and Mrs. Flynn is a former Richland County K9 officer under sheriff Leon Lott.

"I made sure with everyone that I could that what I was doing was not illegal at all," Flynn said. Flynn's machines allow a user to purchase phone minutes, then gives the player a chance to play various "sweepstakes" games. The games are poker-based "games of chance," which are forbidden under the state's video poker ban.

Flynn hired Columbia attorneys, Lir Derieg, and Josh Kendrick to fight his business' court battles. Flynn and Derieg worked together under Giese's office in Kershaw County, until Giese decided to give up his office in 2010.

"You buy long distance, you can never lose that long distance; you can never lose your money," Derieg told WIS. Derieg said Flynn's machines merely offer "promotional games" customers can play, only if they choose to once they purchase long distance minutes. Once a player enters a game, he cannot add additional money to the game, as you would with a traditional poker machine.

Derieg admits Magic Minutes' machines do offer players a chance to enter "games of chance," which state law prohibits, but likens them to McDonald's Monopoly promotions ."If you get a Coke out of a Coke machine and you unscrew the cap to see if you won a free Coke or $10, that's a game of chance, sweepstakes are a game of chance."

"It started feeling too good to be true and you know, it was just too good to be true," Josh Davis told WIS. Davis owns Doc's Old Country Store on Highway 34 near Camden. Davis had a Magic Minutes machine inside his store in January, but a couple weeks ago, he told Magic Minutes to "get it out of this store."

"They came in and said; hey we've got a money-making deal. It's 100 percent legal, showed me a court order and it was a way to make money, so I went with it," Davis said. The deal allowed Davis to pay Magic Minutes a weekly fee of $100, and a share of the money the machine made.

"It paid out. I'd say the largest payout I made from this machine was around $300 and people knew what this machine was all about," Davis told WIS, "They sure weren't in here buying phone minutes, I can assure you of that."

Davis turned his machine in after hearing of court cases cropping up around the state and store owners being charged with having them. "Everything looked legit, everything looked great on it, but there was still something fishy about it. It looked great on paper, but it didn't smell too great," Davis said.

Magic Minutes' machines are in stores across the state. The company hands out a "legal packet" to store owners, containing the orders where magistrates have ruled in favor of the machines.

Video poker making ‘back door’ return to South Carolina - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

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Public invited to KCSO town hall meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:49:14 PST

Go to this site for more info.
Mary Elizabeth Matthews - Silobreaker

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Kershaw County deputies nab four in drug raid near Elgin : News : MidlandsConnect.com

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:09:30 PST

Ricky Belton / Source: Kershaw County

Photo: 1 of 4

Man Accused of Molesting Relative | wltx.com

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:16:52 PST

Paris Nates III (Image: Kershaw County Sheriff's Office)

Written byTony Santaella

Kershaw County, SC (WLTX) - Kershaw County deputies have arrested a man they say molested an underage female relative.

Paris Nates III, 35, of Camden is charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor and criminal incest.

Kershaw County deputies say the victim told family members that she had been sexually molested over a period of four years.

Investigators say Nates confessed to the assaults, and that their investigation is continuing.

Nates faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

Man Accused of Molesting Relative | wltx.com

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Kershaw’s new DUI unit saving lives in crackdown - Crime & Courts - TheState.com

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:49:50 PST

ON I-20 GOING EAST AT 100 MPH — “Here’s your roller coaster, guys!” Kershaw County Sheriff’s Deputy Lt. Scott Myers said as his 2011 unmarked Dodge Charger rose up over a rise in the road.

At a normal speed, say 75 mph, the bump wouldn’t be noticeable. But at 100 mph, which Myers was doing to catch up to a driver who’d been following another car too closely, the car seemed to lift into the air.

“I’m not using my blue lights because I don’t want people to panic and get out of the way real quick,” Myers said.

Kershaw County Sheriff's Lt. Scott Myers and his fellow traffic unit deputies patrol the county for violations that have led to a sharply lowered fatality rate.

- TIM DOMINICK /tdominick@thestate.com

Myers and his $40,000 Charger are a key part of a new six-person traffic unit of the Kershaw County Sheriff’s department.

The brainchild of Sheriff Jim Matthews, the six new full time traffic deputies – two are dedicated to DUI trouble spots – are credited for already saving lives and reducing collisions in Kershaw County last year.

In 2011, Kershaw County had 10 traffic deaths, down from 14 the year before. It was the only county in a six-county Midlands region overseen by the S.C. Highway Patrol that had a decline in traffic deaths. Collisions are also down about 20 percent since the six traffic deputies deployed – from 593 in the last six months of 2010 to 472 the same time period in 2011.

“It’s really a good thing – it’s working,” said 1st Sgt. Tom Borowski, who oversees a 16-trooper S.C. Highway Patrol squad that covers Kershaw and Lee counties.

“When people see a lot of enforcement, a lot of blue lights, they have a tendency to remember police are around,” said Borowski.

Kershaw County coroner Johnny Fellers, whose office handles dead traffic victims, has nothing but praise for the new unit.

“Some people don’t like the increased enforcement, but those are the ones who’ve probably gotten a ticket,” Fellers said. Until last year, Kershaw County had one of the state’s highest per capita road death tolls.

Since the new units deployed in early July, their six deputies have written more than 3,900 tickets and about 1,500 warning tickets, Sheriff Jim Matthews said.

“We’re not trying to get everybody for every violation,” Matthews said this week. “For example, we only give out speeding tickets if someone is 10 mph over the limit. “

Almost every day, the traffic unit catches someone doing more than 100 mph on the 44 miles of I-20 in Kershaw County.

In all, in the last six months, about 2,470 tickets were for speeding between 10-24 miles over the posted limit, and 500 were given out for seat belt violations. Forty-five tickets were written for DUI. Catching speeders, seat belt violators and drunken drivers are the top priorities of the Highway Patrol to reduce highway deaths.

Deputies also wrote 1,500 warning tickets, as well as 27 tickets for children not being properly restrained.

“We don’t give warning tickets for seat belt violations,” said Myers. “That’s one thing that can save your life.” A seat belt violation is only a $25 fine, but that’s been proven to increase seat belt usage.

Last spring, Matthews had a difficult time but convinced a budget-conscious county council to pony up $350,000. That’s what he needed to buy four new Dodge Chargers, four new experienced deputies and equip them all.

Matthews also got a $190,000 grant from the S.C. Department of Public Safety to buy two more $40,000 police chase cars and hire and equip two more deputies to staff a full-time DUI unit. This unit targets locales in the county known for a high concentration of DUI accidents.

One of his strong backers was councilman Jimmy Jones.

“We absolutely did the right thing,” Jones said. “Just go talk to the family who has had a loved one killed by a drunk driver and see if they think this is a good thing.”

When Matthews pitched the idea to council last spring, he said the new units would pay for themselves but fines weren’t the goal.

“Our thinking was that the fines would be a byproduct of good law traffic enforcement,” he said

In the six-month period the traffic units have been operating, a combined total of $583,964 in assessed fines have been written, Matthews said.

No statistics were available on the amount of money collected so far. In fact, the county will eventually collect only less than one half that amount.

That’s because the state gets a portion of every fine, and magistrates often lower fines when a person comes to court. Consequently, no one will know exactly how much Matthews’ units are bringing in until later this year. But it’s clear the units have the potential to bring a lot of money and perhaps pay for themselves.

County Council member Stephen Smoak said it’s a good thing deaths are lower but the county’s finances remain tight.

“From a practical standpoint, funding isn’t automatic,” Smoak said.

Matthews, who has handed out 75 warning tickets for traffic violations himself, is pleased with his new units. He’s also ordered his 50-plus deputies on regular patrol to start issuing traffic tickets – something that wasn’t a priority under previous sheriff Steve McCaskill.

“We’ve had to order extra traffic ticket books,” Matthews said. “Recently, we stopped a guy on I-20 going 120 mph – and he was drunk. I’d like to think we maybe saved his life, or maybe some family coming home on vacation.”

Kershaw’s new DUI unit saving lives in crackdown - Crime & Courts - TheState.com

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Armies Through Time, Historic Camden, SC

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:17:07 PST

March 16 - 18, Gothic Line Tactical, Lugoff, SC

http://commonwealthreenactor.moonfruit.com/

Co-hosted by the 4th Bersaglieri "Italia" infantry unit and the IR134 Hoch und Deutschmiester. This will be a non-scripted tactical battle re-enactment of the fight for the famed Gothic Line in the north of Italy 1945. Italian RSI impressions are welcome. Registration fee of $20 payable at the gate.

April 7 - 8 - Armies Through Time, Historic Camden, SC **

http://www.historic-camden.net/apr.htm

Any nation, any era, a fun, educational military time line. Strictly speaking, not a reenactment since there are no battles. But it does include an operational tavern on Saturday evening! Jay and Charlie both know a lot about this one.

oldhickoryassociation.org

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Educator recognized for love of patriotism - Bertram Rantin - TheState.com

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:23:49 PST

So passionate is Darlene Cantey about bringing America’s history to life that she calls her Camden Elementary School fourth grade class the Patriots.

And when her students study the Revolutionary War in the coming weeks, they’ll take part in colonial re-enactments at Historic Camden as part of those lessons.

Cantey’s commitment to patriotism hasn’t gone unnoticed. The Kershaw County School teacher has been named the S.C. Veterans of Foreign Wars Citizenship Education Teacher of the Year.

Darlene Cantey

“Every time I’m around a veteran, my heart is just touched,” said Cantey, who was recognized during a surprise ceremony Wednesday at the school. “They are the most humble people I have been around.”

Some of Cantey’s most patriotic endeavors can be seen in the school’s Veterans Wall of Honor, where students and employees for years have brought in photographs of family members currently serving in the military, along with veterans. Her students also have sent care packages and personal notes to soldiers through the Letters to Soldiers Project.

Cantey helps coordinate an annual school-wide Veterans Day program and sponsors the school’s Geography Club.

“Mrs. Cantey has been promoting the values and greatness of our country to her classes for many years,” Camden Elementary principal Ed Yount said. “She is the leader in our school for finding ways to support both veterans and current soldiers.”

Cantey earlier was named VFW Post 8346 Teacher of the Year and will now compete for the national title.

Her father served in Vietnam, but she said more people should learn to appreciate the contributions of the nation’s military service men and women.

“The minute you sign up, you have become a hero,” she said. “And I like for my students to think that.”

New board members tapped

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia has announced its 2012 board officers:

Tina Cundari of Sowell Gray Stepp and Laffitte has been named the new board chairwoman.

Ernest Pringle, vice chancellor for information services and chief information officer for University of South Carolina Aiken, is the chairman-elect.

Andy Lowrey, CEO of AgFirst Farm Credit Bank, is the new board treasurer.

Gerald Patton, regional sales director of Pepsi Bottling Group, is the new secretary.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia serves Richland and Lexington counties and helps children reach their potential through mentoring relationships.

Educator recognized for love of patriotism - Bertram Rantin - TheState.com

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Sheriff credits witness for burglary arrests - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

noreply@blogger.com (Don Morgan) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:50:39 PST

LUGOFF, SC (WIS) - Kershaw County Sheriff's investigators say an alert neighbor helped lead to the arrest of three men wanted for burglarizing a home in Lugoff.

Deputies arrested 20 year-old Marquis Dashan Smith, 20 year-old Louis Edison King, Jr., and 20 year-old Manasseh Kerrar Hawkins Thursday.

Sheriff Jim Matthews says at about 10:30 a.m., an alert neighbor called 911 and reported seeing a suspicious vehicle back into the driveway of a home on Redwing Drive.

The vehicle drove away as the neighbor approached the home. The neighbor then went to the back of the house where he saw King who ran away. Sheriff Matthews says the neighbor provided deputies with a clothing description, vehicle description and direction of travel of the vehicle and suspects.

Responding Kershaw County deputies were able to locate and arrest Hawkins near the home.

Another deputy in the area saw two men running toward a van with SC government license plates. When the deputy pulled the van over, he found Smith lying on the floor of the van.

The Kershaw County Sheriff's Office bloodhound tracking team was called to a wooded area nearby to find King, who was hiding in the garage of another home.

Matthews says King is charged with 2nd and 3rd degree burglary and criminal conspiracy. Both Smith and Hawkins are charged with 2^2nd degree burglary and criminal conspiracy.

According to Matthews, Hawkins has prior arrests for possession of marijuana, assault and battery, shoplifting and minor traffic violations. Smith has prior arrests for marijuana possession, grand larceny, receiving stolen goods and he is currently on probation for burglary. King has prior arrests for shoplifting , breach of peace, petty larceny and breach of trust with fraudulent intent.

"Citizen involvement was a key factor in solving this crime," said Matthews. "I don't necessarily recommend that an unarmed civilian confront burglary suspects, but in this case we had a good outcome and we appreciate the help."

All three suspects are awaiting bond hearings at the Kershaw County Detention Center.

Sheriff credits witness for burglary arrests - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

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