Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Funding that would allow the district to place more school resource officers in schools unlikely to come from Columbia. District officials talk about options.
In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary murders, School District of Pickens County officials have hoped that the state would provide financial assistance to enable the district to place school resource officers in all of the district’s elementary schools. Those hopes appear to have been dashed. Superintendent Dr. Kelly Pew told board members Monday night that it does not appear the state will be giving additional funds to allow for more school resource officers. She said she spoke with Rep. Phil Owens, R-Easley, last week. “The understanding at the state level at this point is that there will not be funding for school resource officers,” Pew said. “However, there will be the possibility of a grant that school districts could apply for to …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
The leader of the House has been dogged by ethics complaints since September.
Corey Hutchins of the Columbia Free Times is reporting today that House Speaker Bobby Harrell is under investigation by SLED for possible ethics violations. Ashley Landess, President of the South Carolina Policy Council and a vocal critic of Harrell, met with the Attorney General's office on Thursday. Landess alleged that Harrell used his office to benefit his own finances, a charge that Harrell has refuted. According to the Free Times, Attorney General Alan Wilson assigned a SLED officer to begin an investigation into Harrell's conduct after considering Landess' complaint. Harrell has been under fire since last September when the Post and Courier in Charleston reported that he had reimbursed himself more than $300,000 in expenses. …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
SLED agents arrested Hammond McQueen Love in connection with a 2004 incident in Beaufort County.
A Columbia man accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old in 2004 was arrested by SLED agents Wednesday in Beaufort County, according to the S.C. Law Enforcement Division. Hammond McQueen Love, 46, of Shady Lane is charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Love knew the victim, according to arrest warrants. The incident happened around June 27, 2004 at Sea Pines Villa in Hilton Head Island. Love was booked at the Beaufort County Detention Center. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the charge. SLED conducted the investigation at the request of the Clemson University Police Department. SLED agents also arrested Love on Jan. 25 and charged him with committing a lewd act on a child in 2005 at Clemson University.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Lenora Odell of Seneca was charged Friday with breach of trust with fraudulent intent.
A Clemson University employee was arrested by SLED Friday for using the University's funds as her own. Lenora Odell, 51, of 302 Mill Road, Seneca, is charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent with a value greater than $2,000, but less than $10,000. According to the arrest warrant, SLED alleges that between Dec. 17, 2011 and Nov. 30, 2012, Odell used $5,843 of University money entrusted to her for personal gain. SLED began investigating at the request of the Clemson University Police Department. If convicted the felony charge, Odell could face a fine determined at the court's discretion or up to 15 years in prison. The case will be prosecuted by the 13th Circuit Solicitor's Office.
Monday, October 29, 2012
After millions of Social Security numbers were stolen and hundreds of thousands of credit and debit card numbers were exposed, the state is providing free credit monitoring to residents.
Gov. Nikki Haley is assuring South Carolinians that their personal information that was compromised when a hacker got into a state computer system earlier this month will be protected. "All of the information compromised is secure so that there are no more holes that can be penetrated," Haley said. More than 150,000 residents have signed up for free credit monitoring and identity-theft protection since Friday when the state announced that millions of Social Security numbers and hundreds of thousands of credit/debit cards numbers had been stolen in an international hack, Haley said during a press conference Monday. A phoneline that the state asked residents to call was busy all day Friday, and many people were having trouble getting …
Friday, October 26, 2012
This timeline breaks down all that has transpired since the potential cyber attack was brought to the attention of the South Carolina Department of Revenue Oct. 10.
This timeline provided by the South Carolina Department of Revenue details the process and procedures the Department of Revenue and the South Carolina Division of Information Technology have taken since a cyber attack on Oct. 10. October 10: October 11: October 12: October 15: October 16: October 18: October 19: October 20: October 21-25:
In addition to Social Security numbers, personal financial information also exposed in massive hacking plot, officials say.
“This is not a good day for South Carolina,” is how Gov. Nikki Haley began a Friday afternoon press conference with other state officials at SLED offices in Columbia. “The state of South Carolina has come under attack by an international hacker,” Haley said before explaining that 3.6 million Social Security numbers had been stolen and 387,000 credit/debit cards were exposed when a vast database maintained by the SC Department of Revenue was hacked into. Watch the video of Haley's press conference HERE. Haley would not go so far as to call the security breach an act of terrorism, but did say it was international in nature. She did little to conceal her anger, saying she’d like the perpetrator(s) “slammed against a wall” or that she’d like …
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Sandy Emery faces up to 15 years in prison.
The mother of two children who drowned four years ago has plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter and unlawful neglect in connection with their deaths. Sandy Emery's trial was set to begin this week, but WSPA reports that Emery entered a guilty plea yesterday. First responders were called after two-year-old Lacie Emery was found in a pool in September 2008. While attempts to revive Lacie were undertaken, it was discovered that her brother, three-year-old Carter Emery was missing. He was discovered at the bottom of the pool. Both children were rushed to an area hospital, but pronounced dead. After an investigation by the Pickens County Sheriff's Office, the Pickens County Coroner's Office and SLED, Emery was arrested. Sandy Emery …
Friday, March 9, 2012
Lt. Gov. Ard out over ethics violations
Update: Ard Pleads Guilty To 7 Charges, Sentenced to Probation, Community Service A judge sentenced former South Carolina Lt. Gov. Ken Ard to five years probation Friday afternoon after Ard admitted campaign ethics violations. Ard pled guilty to seven ethics charges Friday afternoon, hours after resigning his position. Ard will also have to do 300 hours of community service and pay a $5,000 fine. He could have been sentenced to up to one year in jail on each charge. A state Grand Jury indicted Ard on seven charges of violating ethics laws Friday following a months-long investigation into his use of campaign finances. Attorney General Alan Wilson said the ethics violations were unprecedented and represented a total ignorance of campaign …
Monday, February 13, 2012
Gaming stirs concerns with police, lawmakers
The former chief of South Carolina's law enforcement division supports the legality of new video poker machines that authorities have questioned since last year, according to an article from the Associated Press. Reggie Lloyd, the former SLED leader responsible for seizing the games from convenience stores or bars, said new alterations make the games less like poker and more like a lottery sweepstakes. But across South Carolina, judges are divided. A judge in Horry County recently ruled one of the gaming machines illegal, while another judge in Greenville County approved of one of the sweepstakes games. In September, current SLED Chief Mark Keel said he would focus on eliminating video gaming across the state, but now says he needs judges …
Alex Saitta
10:10 pm on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
At the bottom of this most important to least important list will be many items that don’t directly educate children and are not essential. Next year focus on the bottom $200,000 and say, is this more important than the new item we want to add – item XYZ? If the bottom $200,000 in the budget isn’t as important, those items are cut. That $200,000 is then shifted over to fund the new XYZ item. … more ›