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Louisville alert bank employees lead police to Craigslist scammer www.privateofficer.com
LOUISVILLE, KY May 17 2012 – Alert bank employees in Louisville led police on Tuesday to a South Carolina man wanted for questioning in alleged Craigslist scams.
Louisville Metro Police said employees of the U.S. Bank branch inside the Kroger store at 4501 Outer Loop reported a suspicious person just before 7:00 Tuesday night.
When officers arrived, they were informed by bank officials that the man, Brooks Elliott Sowell, 31, of Allendale, SC, was wanted for questioning by the LMPD fraud unit for possible Craigslist scams via money order.
Police said Sowell gave them a New York State driver’s license containing someone else’s name, date of birth and address. Sowell later admitted the driver’s license was fake.
Sowell was wanted by both Jefferson County officials and the National Crime Information Center.
He was charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument and giving a peace officer a false name or address
Source: WAVE
Grocery store security guard arrested for giving synthetic drugs to co-worker www.privateofficer.com
According to a Spartanburg Public Safety incident report, 24-year-old Nathaniel Jordan of Blacksburg, SC, was accused of giving synthetic marijuana to a minor-aged coworker at the Ingles grocery store where they work.
Officers responded to the Ingles on Oct. 24. The report said Jordan’s coworker was taken to Mary Black Hospital by his grandmother after becoming erratic and paranoid after taking the drugs.
When officers asked Jordan if he had ever given drugs to underage coworkers or if he had any drugs in his vehicle, he denied it, according to the report.
The report said officers searched his vehicle and found a mini bong, several consumed packages of K-2 and K-3 synthetic marijuana, and a handgun.
Jordan was arrested and cited for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Source:FOX Carolina
S.C. AG’s employee caught with stripper in cemetery www.privateofficer.com
Police reports released Wednesday said 66-year-old Roland Corning was stopped Monday after his car was spotted in an area police say is known for sex and drug use.
According to the report, a Columbia police officer watched Corning drive into the Elmwood Cemetery at around 3:15pm Monday. When Corning spotted the patrol car, the report says he quickly drove off.
A visitor to the cemetery saw Corning’s SUV speeding through the area, and police pulled him over a few blocks away.
Police say an 18-year-old woman who works at the Platinum Plus strip club was with Corning. Corning and the woman gave police conflicting statements why they were at the cemetery, as well as to their relationship, the report said.
Police also found Viagra and sex toys that Corning said were there “just in case.”
Corning, who told the officer he was on his lunch break, identified himself as a prosecutor and was not arrested. The woman was also let go.
“We received credible information about inappropriate behavior Monday afternoon,” McMaster said Wednesday. “And by the close of business, he was no longer working here.”
Such a trip to the cemetery “would not be appropriate at any time, for an assistant attorney general,” McMaster continued.
Columbia Police Chief Tandy Carter spoke to reporters about the incident Wednesday afternoon, but answered few questions before abruptly ending the news conference. Corning has so far not commented on the situation.
Corning was a state legislator in the 1990s. He has worked in the top prosecutor’s office since 2000. Plowden said Corning was hired by McMaster’s predecessor, Charlie Condon.
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Police Chief Wayne Yates arrested www.privateofficer.com
Winnsboro Department of Public Safety Chief Wayne Yates and two others are charged in connection to a fight that left the victim with a broken nose and black eye.
Winnsboro Town Manager Don Woods placed Yates on unpaid administrative leave. The decision came after Yates and Woods met behind closed doors at town hall.
“He’s on administrative leave until further notice,” said Deputy Chief Freddie Lorick, who is in charge for the next 30 days.
Lorick initially declined to comment on the Yates situation, but did say that aside from Yates’ suspended position, the town has 24 sworn officers working its streets. That’s enough manpower, he says, to keep order in town.
WIS News 10: The chief now being out of the loop, does that do anything for staffing levels right now?
Freddie Lorick: Well, we’re short an officer, but that’s it.
WIS: Something you guys can handle?
Lorick: Oh yeah, the department is in good hands. We run ourselves, basically.
Woods declined to answer questions on camera at his office Friday. However, Woods said the decision to place Yates on leave was his decision alone.
Yates was released on bond Thursday afternoon. He denies any wrongdoing and expects to be cleared of the charges.
However, sources in town said Yates has openly discussed stepping down sometime next week. Yates’ attorney said a decision on the chief’s future could come Monday.
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S.C. Trooper killed in memorial ride www.privateofficer.com
Kershaw County Sheriff’s Capt. David Thomley said 41-year-old Jonathan Nash was driving the lead motorcycle on a memorial ride for Trooper H. Merl Godbold.
Six Highway Patrol motorcycles and two HP patrol cars with their lights activated, escorting a group of motorcycles from Camden Middle School to Bishopville and back to Camden.
Thomley said Nash was hit by a car pulling out of a parking lot onto Highway 1 in Camden, and was killed.
“L/Cpl. Nash was an excellent trooper who had earned the distinction of serving on the motor unit,” said Highway Patrol Col. Kenny Lancaster, Jr. “Trooper Nash was well-loved and would be the first to step up and help anyone. This is a tragedy compounded because L/Cpl. Nash was killed during a charity ride to honor another trooper killed on the same roadway.”
Nash, a resident of Union County, joined the Highway Patrol in 1994. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1986-1993. He is a native of Manatee, Florida.
He is survived by his parents, Dan and George-Ann Nash, both of Anderson, SC, and a 14 year old daughter.
The collision is being investigated by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at the request of the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office. Thomley wasn’t sure about the possibility of any arrests in the wreck.
Trooper H. M. Godbold was killed in the line of duty by a drunk driver in February 1992. Godbold’s family has organized the ride in his honor since 2006.
Funeral arrangements for Nash will be released by the Highway Patrol at the wishes of his family.
Two arrested at Myrtle Beach airport with guns www.privateofficer.com
According to Horry County Police, Wayne Scott Bias, 26, of Lesage, WV, was arrested Sunday by TSA authorities after screeners found a pistol in his carry-on luggage.
On Tuesday, screeners found another pistol in carry-on luggage belonging to Carlos Junior Higgs, 59, of Murrells Inlet.
Both men face charges of unlawful carrying of a pistol and have been released on bond.
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Lancaster SC deputy dies in crash www.privateofficer.com
Authorities say 40-year-old Lancaster County Sheriff’s Sgt. Stacey Roberts of Lancaster died in the wreck about 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
York County Coroner Sabrina Gast says Roberts’ motorcycle struck a car on a city street.
The driver of the car, 22-year-old Jordan Smith of Columbia, also died in the wreck.
A passenger in Smith’s car was hospitalized but there was no word on the person’s condition.
Gast says Roberts was riding with a group of bikers when the wreck occurred. She says autopsies were planned Monday.
Rock Hill Police Lt. Brad Redfearn says a reconstruction team is investigating the crash.
The Herald of Rock Hill reported that Roberts had been with the sheriff’s office for nine years.
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S.C. woman awarded $3million for false accusations from Target www.privateofficer.com
S.C. woman awarded $3million for false accusations from Target http://www.privateofficer.com
Court documents stated that Rita Cantrell of Greer went to two Target stores in the Greenville area in Feb. 2006, and both times employees accused her of using a counterfeit bill.
Cantrell tried to buy items at the store and pay with an older series $100 bill
The bill was real, police said. But a store employee sent out an e-mail to dozens of other retailers and law enforement agencies warning them that Cantrell was a shoplifter who tried to spend bogus cash. The e-mail also included Cantrell’s picture.
The U.S. Secret Service questioned Cantrell at her workplace, but later determined the bill was authentic.
“Rita Cantrell found out about that mass e-mail because it was sent to where she works, which is Belk. Federal agents actually interrogated her at the store and her co-workers knew why,” Cantrell’s attorneys said in a statement.
Cantrell’s attorneys said that her embarrassment, humiliation and mental suffering led to a lawsuit against Target Corporation, alleging libel as a result of a defamatory email and negligence because the target store employee wrote and sent the e-mail without substantial proof of wrongdoing.
After a three-day trial, the jury sided in Cantrell’s favor, awarding her $100,000 for actual damages and $3 million in punitive damages.
“The Plaintiff is pleased and feels vindicated by the result,” Cantrell’s attorneys said. “She did not bring her case to create publicity but to obtain just compensation and to clear the taint which had been unfairly attached to her image and her good name.”
Target spokeswoman Bethany Zucco said Friday the company will challenge the ruling.
“We are extremely disappointed by the magnitude of the compensatory and punitive damages awarded by the jury in this case,” Zucco said in a statement. “We sincerely regret any inconvenience incurred by the plaintiff. However, we do not believe that the $200 in medical expenses submitted as evidence in this case supports a $100,000 compensatory damage award, nor do we believe that punitive damages were appropriate under these circumstances.”
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Man arrested after 15 hour stand-off at hospital www.privateofficer.com
Man arrested after 15 hour stand-off at hospital http://www.privateofficer.com
CONWAY, SC OCT 23 2008 The man who held a 15-hour standoff with police outside of the Conway Medical Center surrendered to authorities Wednesday morning and has been identified by the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.
Robert Gustav McGowan, Jr., of Myrtle Beach, had been holed up in a car outside of the emergency room since late Tuesday evening. He is now in police custody at the Florence Detention Center where he is expected to make a federal court appearance on Thursday.
Julie Rajotte, spokeswoman for the Conway Medical Center, told WMBF News the incident escalated after McGowan drove up to the ambulance bay in a blue Firebird and refused to move. When hospital security asked him to move and McGowan’s car stayed in place, local law enforcement and the Horry County SWAT and Negotiation Team was dispatched to the scene.
McGowan, police confirmed, was considered armed and dangerous. He was in possession of a long-barreled shotgun or rifle.
Conway Police Capt. Rodney Sessions said police and SWAT members were communicating with McGowan by yelling through his car window. Police said when he was not talking to them or his parole officer who was asked to be sent to the scene, McGowan had the music playing loudly in his car.
Authorities say there was no indication the man had any connection to the hospital and are unaware of what sparked the standoff. McGowan, they say, was calm and rational throughout the event, only requesting coffee Wednesday morning.
As a precaution, hospital administrators locked down the facility and surrounding area Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. Patients receiving treatment in the emergency room area of the hospital were moved to a different location and ambulances were put on diversion, according to Rajotte.
Police records show McGowan had a track record dating back to 1997. He was previously charged with assault and battery with intent to kill and resisting arrest with a deadly weapon. McGowan was sentenced to 12 years and another 10 years in jail for the charges, respectively.
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S.C. Teacher arrested for questionable student relationship www.privateofficer.com
S.C. teacher arrested for questionable student relationship http://www.privateofficer.com
The State Law Enforcement Division has arrested a 37-year-old North Augusta teacher who is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old female pupil.
Shannon Fowler, an eighth-grade math teacher at Paul Knox Middle School, is charged with five counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, one count of enticing an enrolled child from attendance in school and one count of violating mandated test security regulations and procedures set forth by the state Board of Education.
Arrest affidavits said that Mrs. Fowler, of the 400 block of Pine Butte Lane in North Augusta, communicated with the student “all hours of the day and evening” and engaged the girl in “adult-themed conversations” that were inappropriate for a minor.
Jennifer Timmons, a spokeswoman for SLED, said “there is not enough evidence to determine if a sexual relationship existed at this time.”
The warrants also allege that Mrs. Fowler encouraged the pupil to create a false persona to hide their friendship. The teacher is also accused of giving the girl a ride home from school several times a week without permission from the pupil’s parents, the arrest warrant said.
The investigation by SLED also found that the teacher discussed standardized test questions with the student, a violation of South Carolina law.
Agents began their investigation of Mrs. Fowler in June at the request of the North Augusta Department of Public Safety, according to SLED.
Mrs. Fowler was freed from the Aiken County Detention Center today on a personal recognizance bond, according to a statement from the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office.
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