The West Pelzer Police Department investigated the following incidents in July:
July 1 – Chief Alexis Eliopoulos responded to the residence of Jason Wyatt, WM, 46, at 12 Tasha Drive, where she detained Wyatt on an active warrant for violating a protective order. ACSO deputies arrived twenty minutes later and took Wyatt into custody.
July 8 – Lt5. Scott Stoller had contact with a woman claiming to be Eleanor Rheel and possessing a confirming driver’s license at 30 Main St. She was also driving Eleanor Rheel’s truck. A subsequent check of the tag revealed that it was expired. Three days later, on July 11, Eleanor Rheel, WF,56, 5’8”, 140 pounds, appeared at 30 Main Street to explain that it was her sister Janine Rheel, WF,52, 5’7”, 130 pounds, who was driving the truck that day, having taken Eleanor’s keys, truck and ID. The subsequent story developed by Stoller and Officer Ryan Marro was one of significant psychological confusion, either medical or chemically induced. Eleanor declined to press charges; but the state cited Janine for driving on a suspended tag, DUS, and giving false information to the police. The information was presented to a magistrate for warrants.
July 14 – Chief Alexis Eliopoulos received a complaint of the theft of two adult bicycles, valued at a total of $250, from Sherry Wiles. The bikes were at her son’s residence at 2 James St. Robert Gillespie, who lives nearby stated that he had seen a similar bike that weekend. It developed that Jack Spearman had bought the older of the two bikes from Vince Galloway, WM. 34,5’11”, 190 pounds, who claimed he found it on a junk pile. The bike was recovered and Galloway taken into custody.
July 21 – Chief Alexis Eliopoulos was on patrol in the area of 2 Main St. (the 7-11) when she observed Cindy Beam, WF,55, 130 pounds on the store property. Knowing that Beam was on a trespass order for that location, Eliopoulos made contact with her. During a subsequent search of Beam, a pipe with drug residue was found in her pocket. She was placed under arrest for violating the trespass notice, and for possession of drug paraphernalia.
July 24 – Officer Ryan Marro stopped an SUV with an expired tag. The driver, Luke Lane LaCount, WM, 19, was found to be driving on an expired permit. He cited him for both offenses and called his Mom to come get him.
July 29 – Chief Alexis Eliopoulos observed a truck pulling a trailer make an illegal right turn on red at the intersection of Hwys. 8 and 20. She initiated a traffic stop and discovered that Ortuno Castillo, Hispanic male, 37 had only a passport. No driver’s license was found during a records search. She cited him for both offenses and had him call a licensed driver to retrieve the vehicle and him.
July 30 – Chief Alexis Eliopoulos was conducting traffic enforcement at the intersection of Hwys. 8 and 20 when a blue SUV made an illegal right turn on red. She initiated a traffic stop and found that the driver, Steven Vaculik, WM, 31 had a Florida driver’s license that was no longer valid. She cited him for both offenses, instructed him to get a SCDL since he now lives here, and released him with a summons to court in October.
