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News Archive
News
(2908)
Week of July 16,
2008
Spring Water Festival
features live entertainment
West Pelzer approves
budget, new police car
Allied Waste, ARL
representatives meet with Big Creek residents
$10 million GO Bond
issue to fund projects throughout the County
Large animal rescue care
still in question
Rice arraigned on
hammer incident
Deputies
investigate incidents
Charged with tax evasion
Seems to Me . . .The
sheriff’s office
Spring Water
Festival features live entertainment
The Spring Water Festival, scheduled for August
23 in Williamston’s Mineral Spring Park, will feature an
expanded variety of stage entertainment throughout the day and a
nationally known female country music singer appearing later in the
evening. organizers said.
“The Spring Water Festival has always been a
festival which has a crowd throughout the morning and into the
afternoon,” Festival Chairman David Meade said. “A goal of
The Spring Water Committee this year is to expand and grow the
festival into an all day and evening event. To do this, in addition
to the attractions it has come to be known for, the committee
is planning to bring in a nationally known professional entertainer
to perform in the park at the end of day.”
The artist is still being confirmed and details
will be announced soon.
Williamston Town Council recently approved a
request by the Spring Water Committee to help with funding to bring
in a well known artist. The funding is coming from the hospitality
tax installed by the town last year.
“The Town Council and the Spring Water
Committee see this as a way to give back to the community,”
Meade said. “By providing quality entertainment and not having
to charge people to attend, the festival offers residents of the area
an inexpensive day of family fun and entertainment.”
If you enjoy music, plan to bring a lawn chair
and stay all day. There will be bluegrass, country, rock,
beach, gospel, and Christian music performed at the festival which will
feature the return of Southern Crescent, one of the upstates favorite
party and festival bands.
“Southern Crescent was the main musical
attraction for the first seven years of the festival,” Meade
said. “Original members of the group, after taking 20 years off,
are again playing at events and festivals across the upstate and we
are proud to welcome them back to perform at our festival in Williamston.”
Also appearing on the Amphitheater stage will be
singer songwriter and storyteller Daniell Howle. A beach blast with
beach music provided by The Royal Scotsmen Band will start at noon.
If gospel music is more to your liking, the
park’s center stage will feature one of the upstates largest
showcases of gospel music featuring and coordinated by local artist
Catlin Tierce.
The stage will feature a variety of styles of
gospel music performed by many well known groups, Tierce said.
Special entertainment will be held on a
stage just for children and there will be new games with prizes for
children, Meade said. There will also be amusement rides, crafts and
special artisans displays.
Local businesses and non profits are invited to
have a display at the festival to promote their goods and services.
For more information contact Dianne Lollis at 847-5743.
The festival will feature a 5K Spring Water Run,
organized by Chris Bradberry. Persons interested in participating in
the event can pick up an entry form at The Journal in Williamston,
Nationwide Insurance in Belton or call Bradberry at 864-420-3282.
Local crafters who would like to display handmade
items for sale at the festival are also invited to participate.
Contact Ellen Harvell at 847-5588.
The festival will again feature one of the
upstate’s largest antique and classic auto shows, being
sponsored by the Williamston Fire Department. To register contact
Steve Ellison at 864-847-4950.
Additional infomation will be published in The
Journal and is available online, along with application forms at www.springwaterfestival.com.
West Pelzer approves
budget, new police car
By Stan Welch
The West Pelzer Town Council was full of
surprises Monday night, giving first reading approval to the budget
as well as approving the purchase of a new police car for the Town.
The budget vote came after some extensive
cajoling by the Mayor, who repeatedly explained that the first
reading approval simply started the process, and left ample
opportunity to amend the budget, even after final passage.
Two of the Council members were concerned that
the budget was not presented to them until the time of the meeting.
Councilman Marshall King said that he would like to accept the budget
as information and then hold a workshop before the next meeting to
study it. “I just got this a few minutes ago. We should have a
workshop instead of having to sit here and listen to all this. I
don’t see how I can vote on something I haven’t had time to
look at.”
Mayor Peggy Paxton explained that by town
ordinance, the department heads prepare the budget and present it.
“A lot of work went into this. I just
don’t see what good a budget workshop will do. We need to give
first reading approval and then we can make changes before final
approval, or even after. But last year, we didn’t adopt a budget
until January of this year. Six months after we are supposed to have
a budget, we didn’t. We really need to get this process started.”
Councilman Jimmy Jeanes said that he and other
Council members would like a chance to speak about the police car
purchase that was included in the budget.
“You said if you saw it in the budget you
would vote on it. Well, there it is,” said Paxton.
Jeanes pointed out that other towns have budget
workshops, saying, “I just think it would be a good idea to get
everybody together and fine tune this, that’s all.”
Councilman Mike Moran said that the Council went
through the same thing last year. “We’ve had this
conversation before.” He then seconded Mayor Paxton’s
motion for a first reading approval, and the vote was unanimous.
The budget proposed reflected the transfer of
some funds from one area to another, but overall, the budget is
smaller than it was last year. “This budget shows no tax
increases, and no fee or rate increases. We’re just spending the
money a little differently this year,” Paxton said.
Council then continued in its somewhat unusual
spirit of cooperation, as it voted to purchase one police car for the
town, a vote that clearly surprised both Mayor Paxton and the
audience, which burst into applause. Councilman King abstained, while
the other members approved the purchase.
The vote followed a considerable discussion and
review of the latest pricing. Chief Bernard Wilson had continued to
hone the offers he had received and reported to Council that the
final cost of a completely outfitted police car would be $24,865.
That included receiving a radio from the county, a VHS dashboard
camera from the state and radar from the state law enforcement
network, all at no cost to the town.
Councilman Joe Turner, responding to Mayor
Paxton’s surprised expression of gratitude, said, “This is
a significant savings, which was what we were looking for.” The
motion to obtain the car, made by Councilman Moran, was to purchase
it outright, instead of leasing, a move which will save approximately
$5000 in interest payments.
Council also re-appointed municipal judge Roger
Scott, by a vote of 4-0-1, with Mayor Paxton abstaining. Mayor Paxton
administered the oath of office to Scott.
Councilman King raised the issue of the town
obtaining a recording system to record the meetings. “Several
times during recent meetings, things have been said and then they
were challenged later as to what was said. I think we should get a
recording system that we can use to record and store these meetings.
Then if there is a dispute later, we can all listen to what was
really said.”
Following further discussion, King made a motion
to authorize town clerk Paula Payton to purchase a suitable
system. The vote was unanimous.
Councilman Moran addressed the Council, reminding
them that former Councilman Pete Davis had started a fund while on
Council that offered emergency assistance to those struggling with
their water and sewer bills. The fund was started at a time when
speculation was that the bills would soon skyrocket.
Moran said that he had been blessed in his
life and he and his wife would like to commit a certain amount a
month for one year to assist someone else who was struggling to pay
their water and sewer bills. He pointed out that his commitment, or
anyone else who chose to make such a commitment, would be to a
specific person, even though the donor would not know who they were
helping.
“We have to understand that the person
receiving the help needs to be able to count on it, so they can plan
their budgets. This isn’t for somebody who had a bad month or
has been unemployed for a couple weeks. This is for people like our
older folks whose incomes simply aren’t sufficient.”
Councilman Turner quickly agreed to do the same.
“If I can help someone I’m glad to do it.”
Details for setting the system up remain to be settled.
Allied Waste, ARL
representatives meet with Big Creek residents
By Stan Welch
Representatives of the Anderson Regional Landfill
(ARL), Allied Waste and the Cheddar and Big Creek communities met
last Thursday. Several topics came up, including the effects on the
landfill’s operations of a proposed merger between Republic
Services and Allied Waste.
The two companies, currently second and third
largest of their type in the country, will merge later this year,
barring problems with the proposed deal. That merger will still not
topple garbage Goliath Waste Management from its number one position,
but it will solidify the new company’s position as number two.
While Allied Waste, Inc. is currently the larger
of the two companies in the merger proposal, its heavily leveraged
debt load, rated as junk by financial experts, made the company
vulnerable. Its management weaknesses can be seen in the fact that
Republic Services generated a profit of more than $290 million on
total revenues of $3.2 billion dollars in 2007, while Allied Waste
generated only $273 million on total revenues of more than $6 billion.
The merger will produce a company that will own a
total of 228 landfills and 86 recycling centers. The company will be
named Republic but will move its corporate headquarters to
Allied’s hometown, Phoenix, AZ.
The future of that merger came under a large
shadow Monday, July 14, as Waste Management, headquartered in
Houston, TX, upped the ante and offered $6.19 billion for Republic
Services, or $34 per share. Republic’s bid for Allied was worth
$6.07 billion, an offer based on stocks, not cash.
Miami Dolphins co-owner Wayne Huizenga founded
both Waste Management and Republic Services early in his business
career, before selling out and moving to other ventures.
While the high finance aspects of the merger were
of some interest to the fifty or so residents at the Cheddar Fire
Department last week, most of their questions concerned continued
violations of a settlement agreement between the residents who sued
to prevent the expansion of Anderson Regional Landfill several years
ago, and the landfill’s operators.
Several members of the audience complained that
the trucks enter and leave the landfill at all hours, in violation of
an agreement that prohibits operations between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Allied representative Rob Wall said that the
agreement is being observed because those trucks aren’t involved
in actually dumping garbage in the landfill during the restricted
hours.
“We own that landfill,” said Wall.
“We can bring trucks in at any hour so long as we don’t
dump before the allowed hours.”
The company uses the landfill to stage a
satellite operation of trucks that collect garbage locally.
“We have about fifty five trucks. Ten collect in Anderson
County, ten in Greenwood County, and the rest are scattered about on routes.”
District Seven Councilwoman, Cindy Wilson, who
attended along with District One Councilman Bob Waldrep, and newly
elected Council members Tom Allen, of District Four and Eddie Moore,
of District Three, said that the use of the satellite company was
“an attempt to subvert the contractual agreement.”
She added that she had yet to receive the results
of an audit of the host fees paid by the company to the county. She
also referred to road conditions on the access roads to the landfill,
saying that efforts were needed to rebuild those roads.
Wall said that those audit results had been made
available to Gina Humphreys, county financial analyst, some time ago.
He was asked who owned the road into the landfill and stated that the
county owned and maintained that road.
“We couldn’t afford to repair that
road,” said Wall. The road is approximately 300 yards long. When
asked why Allied couldn’t pave the road, with its nearly $300
millions in profits last year, Wall declined to answer.
Wall said that there would be no increase in the
annual disposable tonnage at the landfill, a number currently set at
approximately 335,000 tons. That amounts to approximately 1300 tons a
day, and according to Wall, includes no solid waste from outside
South Carolina.
“We are under contract to Anderson County
not to accept out of state waste,” said Wall.
Federal law defines solid waste as interstate
commerce and it cannot be regulated by the states. The law also says
that garbage which comes from out of state and passes through a
transfer station is no longer out of state garbage. Allied owns and
operates a transfer station in Duncan SC.
$10 million GO
Bond issue to fund projects throughout the County
By Stan Welch
Anderson County Council addressed a varied agenda
Tuesday night, considering issues that ranged from animal cruelty,
zoning and sewer, to former members of Council being prohibited from
employment by the County. They also approved a $10 million GO bond
issue for projects throughout the County.
The votes cast on those issues reflected
significant shifts in the customary and predictable five vote
majority bloc which has dominated Council business in recent years.
They may also indicate an awareness that the recent elections cracked
that bloc, with three of its members losing their seats to challengers.
ACOG Projects
Council heard from Appalachian Council of
Government’s (ACOG) planning director Chip Bentley, who reported
on the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, or CEDS, which
ACOG maintains for the Upstate area.
He reported that thirteen of the projects listed
in the strategy were completed this year, including six water
projects, six community projects and a sewer project.
District Seven Councilwoman Cindy Wilson
succeeded in having several projects located in her district replaced
on the list of projects eligible for federal funding through the EDA,
or Economic Development Authority.
Those projects included the replacement of two
pumps in the Belton/Honea Path water authority’s system. The
pumps are several decades old and can no longer be repaired. The
Watkins School restoration project was also put back on the list. The
Council voted unanimously to restore those projects.
County Sewer Plan
Council then heard an update on the County’s
ten year sewer plan. They also learned that the county’s
longtime sewer consultant, BP Barber, no longer operates in this
area. A group of its employees recently purchased the Upstate office
and all the projects that were in the pipeline already, according to
Jim Longshore, former BP Barber representative and president of the
newly formed Summit Engineering, Inc.
He and county sewer consultant Dewey Pearson
faced persistent questioning from District Two Councilwoman Gracie
Floyd, who said that the Broadway Creek sewer project had been
delayed several times. “I understand the Hurricane Creek project
had some private backing and had to be moved up. I just want to know
that the next money that becomes available will come to us.”
Longshore reported that the lift station being
constructed at the intersection of Highways 81 and 86 in the Wren
area will be completed later this fall. That improvement is expected
to serve a fast growing area.
Three and Twenty Zoning
Council also gave second reading approval to a
request for zoning in the Three and Twenty voting precinct of
District Six. That request is the latest step in that area’s
efforts to stop a construction and debris landfill proposed for
Hamlin Road.
The request ran into some opposition due to a
recent request by AnMed that 273 acres of land they own in the area
be rezoned from RA, or residential agricultural to R-20. The land, in
the area of the intersection of Firetower Road and Mountain View
Road, would be rezoned from RA to R-20, which would allow for much
greater density of development.
District Six Councilman Ron Wilson moved to
amend the ordinance to reflect AnMed’s request. District One
Councilman Bob Waldrep expressed concerns that the area citizens who
sought the zoning were not privy to AnMed’s actions.
County Attorney Tom Martin reminded Council that
the question of the zoning would be the subject of an advisory
referendum to be held on August 19. “This referendum will not
establish zoning. Only the county council can do that. But it will
let the voters of that area express their wishes in the matter.”
Councilwoman Wilson recommended that the
amendment be withdrawn, saying, ”Most of the homes in that area,
like in Chestnut Springs, are 3-5 acres in size. When folks in that
area get wind of this, there’s going to be a major flap.”
Council voted 5-2 to approve the amendment, with
Wilson and Waldrep opposed. The ordinance itself received second
reading approval by a vote of 5-1-1, with Waldrep opposed and Wilson abstaining.
Burn Ordinance
A burn ordinance proposed by Chairman Michael
Thompson received first reading approval by a vote of 4-2-1 with
Councilman Ron Wilson abstaining, while Councilman Greer and Ms.
Wilson voted in opposition. Both Thompson and County Attorney Martin
conceded that the ordinance, which offers several exemptions, would
do little if anything to help Anderson County attain compliance with
federal air quality standards.
“The EPA is going to tighten the standards
and frankly, we will not be able to meet them. But the reasons for
that are beyond our control, and the EPA and DHEC will give us a
chance to prove that. But first, we have to do everything we can so
they will see we’ve made an effort,” said Martin.
Councilman Larry Greer said that the ordinance
amounted to the County paying to enforce state standards.
“The State should step up and provide this funding if they want
tougher enforcement of the laws.”
Greer then joined Councilwoman Wilson in voting
against the ordinance.
Hiring ordinance defeated
Ms. Wilson’s ordinance to prohibit former
Council members from being hired or contracted by the County for one
year after leaving office was defeated by the absence of a deciding
vote. Mr. Greer stated that he felt the ordinance was directed at him
and two other members of Council (Messrs. McAbee and Thompson were
also unseated in the June primary) and he recused himself, leaving
the chamber until the discussion and vote was taken.
Attorney Martin opined that while Council has the
authority to set broad policy, the authority to hire and fire resides
in the administrator, under the Council/administrator form of
government, which the County uses. “Whether the group affected
is numerically large enough to qualify this decision as broad policy
is an issue that would eventually have to be settled by the SC
Supreme Court.”
The ordinance was defeated by a vote of 3-3, with
Greer recused from voting.
Other actions
Ms. Floyd was obviously disappointed when her
animal control ordinance was defeated by a 3-3-1 vote with Mr. Wilson
abstaining, and Ms. Wilson, Greer and Waldrep voting in opposition.
An ordinance proposed by Waldrep to prohibit
members of the County’s many boards and commissions from using
their membership on those boards to profit personally. After some
amending, which among other things, allows Council members to go
outside their districts to seek appointees, both the amendments and
the ordinance itself were passed by unanimous votes.
$10 million GO Bond
Waldrep and Wilson also challenged the ordinance
seeking to issue $10 million in general obligation bonds.
Waldrep asked that several of the projects
proposed for funding be deleted from the ordinance. “I would ask
that the Broadway Lake community building, the Parker Bowie Park, the
Dolly Cooper Park, the Warner Road facility all be deleted. In
addition, I would ask that the $3.2 million animal shelter, the
renovation of the old DSS building for $1.5 million, and the proposed
Ronnie Townsend building at $1.2 million be reviewed before voting on
this. I don’t know if any of you have been in the proposed
Townsend building, but there is no way you could spend $1.2 million
in that building unless you just do it in gold and marble.”
Ms. Wilson agreed and offered an amendment that
would appoint a citizen committee to offer input into the projects.
The amendment was defeated by a 5-2 vote, the same vote that also
gave first reading approval to the proposed bond issue.
On the lighter side
In the evening’s funniest moment, local
businessman Jim Kappler was honored for his idea to use electronic
business signs to expand the amber alert warning system. The idea,
adopted and developed by Kappler and county staff, chiefly Anita
Donley of the Public Safety Division, has spread to other states and
drawn national attention.
Following the reading by Councilwoman Floyd of
the resolution honoring him and his efforts, Kappler made a point of
thanking the county council for having nothing to do with the idea or
its adoption. “This was done completely on the operational
level, with no input from Council. They kept their hands off of it,
and for that we should thank them.”
Ms. Floyd, who had spent several minutes telling
the audience that the Council listens when people have good ideas,
was obviously surprised by the comments. She recovered nicely
however, looking at Kappler and saying, “Well, that was a big finish.”
Council also voted to cancel the August 5
meeting, so they can attend the annual SCAC gathering in Hilton Head.
Large animal rescue
care still in question
By Stan Welch
Despite the budgeting of a $3.2 million
animal shelter and a spay/neuter clinic, as well as the proposal of
an amended animal ordinance for the County, many of those in the
animal rescue community continue to question the County’s
commitment to protection of animals.
Nicole Walukewicz, chair and founder of
Palmetto Equine Animal Rescue League (PEARL ) says that her
group’s extensive efforts to define and clarify the roles of the
County’s various agencies as regards large animal rescue and
protection have essentially been undone by recent or pending actions
by the County.
Walukewicz cites the budgeting of the animal
shelter as a main issue. “While we’re glad to see a
suitable facility being budgeted, the ordinance does not establish a
facility for accepting, treating or holding large animals. There is
no provision for corrals or stalls or any facilities for taking in
and managing livestock or horses. In light of the fact that the land
for the shelter was actually donated, it makes it even more difficult
to understand why no money was set aside for large animal management.
How much money did that save?”
The issues involved are major, says Walukewicz.
“These animals need to be quarantined, evaluated, checked, and
if necessary, treated for infectious diseases before being
rehabilitated and hopefully placed in foster or permanent homes. It
is unfair to ask for private individuals, many of whom own healthy,
valuable animals, to expose their horses to such dangers. The dogs
and cats taken in are treated and evaluated before being adopted out.
Surely it makes sense to do the same for horses?”
In tandem with the budget ordinance’s
failure to address large animals, Walukewicz sees an animal ordinance
proposed and supported by Councilwoman Gracie Floyd as also negating
efforts to address large animal issues. “This ordinance, as it
is currently written, essentially reduces the realm of animal control
in Anderson County to that of protecting and managing people’s
pets. Large animals are excluded from that ordinance. In a county
with the second largest equine population in the state, that is
nothing short of ludicrous and negligent.”
Walukewicz, a horse owner herself, says that
since actively beginning its rescue and training efforts in 2006,
PEARL has rescued and housed thirty horses, as well as initiating a
number of cruelty investigations. They have provided training in
cruelty investigation methods, as well as training in the rescue of
large animals to several groups of first responders. “We
recently had a training session on that which drew representatives
from five different counties. We do this because it is a needed
service to both the animals and those charged with their safety,
“ said Walukewicz.
“We have housed and treated and fed those
horses through donations and help from the community. But those
animals come under state law and are entitled to the same attention
as a pit bull or a fighting cock. But Anderson County has chosen to
ignore state law in this case, in an effort to put that burden on the
private sector. Sheriff David Crenshaw and his department worked very
hard to meet their responsibilities, but they had nothing budgeted
for animal control. Neither does incoming Sheriff John Skipper. Why
is it so difficult for this county to see that animal control should
be the responsibility of the animal control department?”
Rice arraigned on
hammer incident
The 78-year-old Piedmont woman charged with the
death of her husband was released last week from the hospital where
her attempted suicide landed her. Anderson County authorities
wasted little time in arraigning Gwen Rice, of 132 Pleasant Woods
Road, for the murder of her 77-year-old husband, Paul Norman Rice.
Rice was arraigned Friday morning, July 11, for
the June 16 incident in which she allegedly struck her husband
several times with a hammer and a three prong gardening tool. Paul
Rice staggered out of the home before collapsing in the yard of the
couple’s home. He expired from cardiac arrest en route to the hospital.
According to police records, Gwen Rice
ingested a quantity of medication and cut her wrists after her
alleged attack on her husband. She was transported to the hospital
and was kept there until she recovered, at which time she was
released to the custody of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.
She was arraigned but has not appeared
before a circuit court judge for the setting of bond. She remains in
Anderson County Detention Center.
Deputies
investigate incidents
Anderson County Sheriff’s Deputies
investigated the following incidentsin Williamston, Pelzer, Piedmont
and Belton area:
BELTON
July 11 – W.T. Cunningham responded to 101
Longshore Dr., Apr. 21, where Ricky Mattison reported that a Toyota
pickup he was repairing for someone had been damaged, with windows
being broken out and body damage done as well. Witnesses described a
short blond woman with long hair. Mattison said that sounded like his
neighbor. No arrest was made but the case was to be presented to the
magistrate for a warrant. Damage was estimated at $2800.
July 11 – B.K. Baxter was dispatched to 2233
Cannon Bottom Rd. where Dawn Riccardi reported the theft of her ATV,
valued at $1300.
July 11 – J.R. Finley assisted DSS
caseworker Ansley Allen in serving a court order at the home of
Brandy Whitfield at 714 Todd Rd. where two children were taken into
custody by DSS.
July 12 – W.T. Cunningham was dispatched to
3 Sturbridge Court where Anthony Trenton reported that his home had
been burglarized . He and his wife had been at Myrtle Beach when both
were served with Anderson County warrants and returned to the
Anderson County Detention Center. Upon making bail, Anthony Trenton
returned home and reportedly found the front door of the house open.
He reported that cash, in the amount of $19,000, as well as
electronics, jewelry, household goods, and other items, including a
Shihtzu dog named Snookin, totaling approximately $40,000 had been stolen.
July 12 – A. Land received a telephone call
while working the desk at ACSO. The caller, Christopher Simmons, of
Belton, reported that while his truck was parked at the Cheddar Fire
Department for several hours, the SC tag, number 836PWZ, had been stolen.
July 13 – P.D. Marter responded to 1046
Brown Rd. where Mary Green reported that someone had stolen her white
1991 Chevy pickup while she was out of town. She said she would press
charges no matter who took it. The vehicle has SC tag # 364-3BR.
July 13 – W.T. Cunningham was dispatched to
182 Coker Circle, where John Harvill reported that someone had broken
into a mobile home he was working on and stolen a variety of tools
and equipment valued at $1150, as well as destroying a 3.5 ton air
conditioning unit while stealing the copper. Total loss of the unit
was estimated at $3800.
EASLEY
July 13 – B.K. Baxter responded to 139
Randall Rd. where Stanley Stewart reported that someone had stolen
the tires and rims from his 1995 black GMC van. The loss was
estimated at $1600.
PELZER
July 12 – B.K. Baxter was on patrol on
Shiloh Rd. when he saw a car sitting just off the road. He stopped to
see if assistance was needed and the driver, Clyde Whitmire, WM, 17,
6’, 170 pounds, brn/blue, told him he had a flat tire but
someone was coming to help. The tag on the vehicle came back as
stolen when Baxter checked it. He placed Whitmire under arrest and
transported him to ACDC.
PIEDMONT
July 11 – P.D. Marter responded to N. O.
Trucking Company at 412 Pine Rd. where Nathaniel Owens, company
owner, reported that an ex-employee may have been forging several
checks. Five checks received all had the same routing and check
numbers on them. They were apparently computer generated and the
company owners’ names signed. The total loss was $1800.
WILLIAMSTON
July 11 – K.D. Pigman responded to 1525
Anderson Dr. in response to a scuffle between Brent Jordan, WM, 28,
5’9", 180 pounds, brn/hazel and Edward Hall, WM, 40-45,
5’11", 165 pounds, brn/brn. Witnesses told inconsistent
stories and no action was taken.
July 12 – P.D. Marter responded to Macedonia
Church at 1000 Beaverdam Road where Rick Lee reported that two air
conditioning units had been destroyed and robbed of the copper. Total
loss is approximately $4500.
July 13 – K.D. Pigman was dispatched to 119
Cantrell Rd. where Roger Alewine, 46, WM, reported that he and his
stepson, Jason Summerall, WM, 33, of Belton, had been
scuffling and Summerall shoved him down. No action was taken.
July 13 – K.D. Pigman was dispatched to 304
Anita Court where Robin Hudgens reported that a white male known only
as Jonathon had exposed his entire backside to her and her juvenile
daughter. Jonathon could not be located and no further action was taken.
July 13 – K.D. Pigman responded to the
Williamston Police Department where he took custody of Lindsey
Damewood, of Martin Ga. Who was wanted on an active warrant.
Charged with
tax evasion
Stephen Verner Talmage, 49 of Piedmont has been
charged in a one-count indictment with attempting to evade payment of
taxes, a violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7201.
According to United States Attorney W. Walter Wilkins, the maximum
penalty Talmage could receive is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment
for five years. Wilkins stated that the case was investigated by
agents of the Internal Revenue Service, and that he has assigned the
case to Assistant United States Attorney David C. Stephens of the
Greenville office for prosecution.
Seems to Me . . .The
sheriff’s office
By Stan Welch
As many of you know, I have had a few issues with
the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office since coming to Anderson.
For that matter, the history of the Sheriff’s Office is at least
as steeped in political chicanery as it is in accomplishment and glory.
That history began long before David Crenshaw
became Sheriff, although he was present for much of it, serving under
Duck Cooley. The Taylor years, which preceded my arrival in the
Upstate, were marked by controversy and allegations of misconduct.
Sheriff Crenshaw, an affable, gregarious
politician, certainly made his share of mistakes. His budgetary
problems were a sea anchor to his plans to sail to a second term.
Another drag on his administration was his original choice of chief
deputy. One can only imagine the sight of the Sheriff trying his best
to kick himself in the behind, while thinking of the many gaffes and
blunders committed by Tim Busha.
Those gaffes included the remarkable and
controversial explanation that Busha provided for the events that
came to be known as Catergate, Busha’s subsequent storming of a
local radio station, where he vocally browbeat and threatened the
talk show host, who had called Busha’s story unbelievable, his
suspended driver’s license, and the questions concerning his
certification as a law enforcement officer.
His presence in the department became a symbol
for questionable judgment, and fairly or not, Crenshaw could never
get out from under that symbolism.
While his department’s comportment and
relations with the public clearly improved under chief deputy Creed
Hashe, it was too little,too late, when added to other factors. The
department’s past performance, along with Sheriff Crenshaw’s
admirable but often ill conceived loyalty to friends he placed
in the command structure, was simply too much to overcome.
Sheriff elect John Skipper, who was himself
carrying a bit of baggage from his role in the Taylor administration,
nevertheless eked out a narrow win.
And herein lies my biggest problem with the
concept of elected law enforcement. John Skipper, who to my knowledge
is an honest and capable man, won election by less than one per cent
of the votes cast. That is not the issue. I would feel the same if he
won by thirty per cent. And my problem is certainly not with Mr. Skipper.
My problem is this. When those votes were
counted, David Crenshaw wasn’t the only one out of a job. One of
his first actions upon taking office was to fire dozens of
Taylor’s deputies and upper command structure, including John
Skipper. When John Skipper takes office in January, and despite his
vow to evaluate every employee, there will be a significant turnover
in personnel. It is the nature of the beast.
Many of those fired by Crenshaw worked against
him in various and countless ways, from the first days of his tenure.
Some inside his department worked against him, because his loyalty to
his friends damaged morale in the department. Busha followed his
agenda in preference to Crenshaw’s, because Busha wanted the top job.
Hey, that’s politics.
And that’s the problem. Politics and law
enforcement don’t pull well in harness together. Law
enforcement, like so many functions of government in the twenty first
century, has become a complex pursuit. Technology advances so rapidly
it is difficult to keep up with. Administration of a department with
nearly a thousand employees is a daily challenge, and a long term
challenge as well.
Training and professionalism are absolutely
essential to maintaining an effective force. Those demands are even
heavier in Anderson County, where a major interstate drug corridor,
stretched between two of the major drug markets in the Southeast,
runs for more than thirty miles.
Yet in the midst of this demanding and
complicated situation, a Sheriff loses an election, and a department
is gutted and has to be restored. Four years later, it may happen
again. And whether it does or not, the political aspects of elected
law enforcement draw energies and resources from the real job at hand.
In human terms, dozens of hard working dedicated
law enforcement officers, as well as a few weasels, stand to lose
their jobs, for no reason except that the man they worked for got
less votes than the other guy.
These are law enforcement officers whose training
and experience are public assets, public resources, which will be
squandered and wasted, just because of a few hundred votes. These are
fathers and mothers who have families to care for and bills to pay.
Conversely, the small town departments which have
benefited from the turnover in Crenshaw’s department by having
well trained and experienced deputies taking jobs as town policemen
may soon see that tide turn, as those former deputies return to the
Sheriff’s department under Skipper.
It seems to me that it is time to seriously
consider the idea of a county police force, based on a meritocracy,
and a hired professional police chief. No county can afford to train
officers just to replace them every four years. It’s time to
consider a meritocracy, a truly professional force, where a man or
woman dedicated to a law enforcement career could have at least the
assurance that their career would be based on their performance; and
not the political acumen of the Sheriff they serve under.
The officers who serve us face uncertainty every
time they start a shift. Shouldn’t they at least have the
security of knowing that their job will be there as long as they do
it well? Under a county police force, if the command structure fails
to perform, it can be replaced, without gutting the department.
If the head man can’t remember to get his
driver’s license renewed, or goes over budget by a couple of
million bucks, his head rolls, but only his. Seems to me that’s
only fair.
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