Latest news with #SouthCarolinaCriminalJusticeAcademy
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Marlboro County deputies arrest daughter of McColl mayor on assault charge
MARLBORO COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — The daughter of McColl Mayor Robert Outlaw was arrested on multiple charges including assault, the Marlboro County Sheriff's Office said Thursday. Kelly Outlaw was charged with third-degree assault and battery and unlawful communication. She was booked into the Marlboro County Detention Center, where she awaits a bond hearing. The incident stemmed from a dispute that started on a Facebook news post and escalated into a series of threatening messages sent through Facebook Messenger, totaling 40 messages, including audio messages regarding the 'McColl town government disputes,' according to the sheriff's office. Outlaw was apprehended at her residence, and while she was being apprehended, she allegedly threatened to harm the victim in front of the investigators arresting her. The town has seen its share of controversy in the past year, with former Mayor George Garner — who was being investigated by SLED — dying in a car crash less than a week after the town's entire police department resigned. Early last week, the town appeared to have a new police chief with the appointment of Billy Stubbs. However, days later, Stubbs backed out. Stubbs was on the town's police force from March 2011 until July 2020 and has worked for the Marlboro County Sheriff's Office since January 2021, according to employment records from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘I don't blame him': McColl's police chief candidate backs out
MCCOLL, S.C. (WBTW) — After McColl Mayor Robert Outlaw announced Billy Stubbs as the town's new chief on Monday, the new appointee said on Wednesday that he will no longer be accepting the position. Stubbs was on the town's police force from March 2011 until July 2020 and has worked for the Marlboro County Sheriff's Office since January 2021, according to employment records from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. 'Due to some issues that have arisen, I will not be accepting the chief position,' Stubbs said in a Facebook post. 'I try to be a man of my word but expect others to do the same. I want to thank Robert Outlaw for the support and consideration for the job, and with heavy heart I have to rescind my employment for the chief position. I will always do anything I can for the town and the citizens that I love.' Outlaw responded via Facebook Thursday morning, saying, 'Wow!!! I'm really heartbroken on this one. To the citizens of McColl, as your mayor, everything was worked out. I was so excited Mr. Stubbs was coming to be our chief. But once again, two councilmen made sure Robert Outlaw didn't get what he wanted.' 'I'm tired of people smiling in my face and putting a knife in my back,' he continued. 'This is like the third or fourth time our two councilmen have made sure I didn't get what I thought was best for this town. It took me forever to even get the police department in the 2025 budget. Honestly, this is twice that the same councilman has gave Mr. Stubbs cold feed and honestly I don't blame him for not coming to work for us. But that being said, there's a good police chief out there and I'm not giving up till I find him or her.' Outlaw made the initial announcement on Monday, saying, 'After 74 long days being your mayor . . . I'm so happy to announce Billy Stubbs has accepted. His starting date will be June 9th. It's been [a long] journey.' Stubbs would have replaced former chief Bob Hale, who, along with the rest of the department, resigned in November 2024. Less than a week later, former Mayor George Garner died in a two-vehicle crash. Count on News13 for updates. * * * Jordan White is a Digital Producer at News13. She joined the News13 team in August 2024. Jordan, a Myrtle Beach native, graduated from St. James High School in Murrells Inlet and is a graduate of Coker University. Follow Jordan on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
Conway Police Chief to be master of ceremonies at state law enforcement memorial
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WBTW) — Conway Police Chief Dale Long will be the master of ceremonies at the 2025 South Carolina Law Enforcement Memorial, set to take place Wednesday in Columbia. The annual ceremony honors the officers who have died in the line of duty and officers that were still active or retired that died in 2024. It is set to take place at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. 'We encourage all citizens to attend this memorial as we remember those who dedicated their lives to guarantee safety and liberty for others,' JJ Jones, executive director of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers' Association, said. 'Their devotion and ultimate sacrifices to the citizens of this great state will never be forgotten.' Chief Long, who is also President of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association, will be the master of ceremonies. Richard Edwards, also of the Conway Police Department, will take part in the tolling of the bell. Prayer, bagpipes and a memorial message are just a few things that will take place during the ceremony, a news release said. Members of the community are invited to attend to the event. * * * Jordan White is a Digital Producer at News13. She joined the News13 team in August 2024. Jordan, a Myrtle Beach native, graduated from St. James High School in Murrells Inlet and is a graduate of Coker University. Follow Jordan on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
SC is only state without specific crimes for strangulation. A bill aims to change that.
Brian Bennett, a retired officer of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and advocate for strangulation laws, testifies in front of a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Screenshot of SCETV legislative livestream) COLUMBIA— Strangulation is among the most common types of abuse in domestic violence situations. Yet, South Carolina is the only state without specific penalties for the crime. A Senate proposal seeks to change that. Restricting someone's ability to breathe with the intent to hurt them would be punishable by between three and 10 years in prison under the proposal which passed unanimously out of committee Tuesday to be taken up on the Senate floor. Penalties climb as high as 20 years in prison when someone uses a weapon, violates a restraining order or has a prior strangulation convection. If passed in the Senate, the bill will still have to go through the legislative process in the House. Meanwhile only five legislative days remain in the first year of the two-year session. When it was her turn to speak in favor of the bill, Lauren Moose, a forensic nurse examiner at McLeod Health in Florence, asked a Senate panel to set a timer for 2 ½ minutes and stay silent. That's the amount of time it takes to kill someone by strangling them, she explained. 'Think about somebody sitting there, literally watching somebody's life exit their hands,' she said. Domestic violence victims in SC can wait weeks for legal protections The Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention says between 68% and 80% of abused women will experience 'near-fatal strangulation.' And the likelihood of being killed by your partner is 10 times higher if they've strangled you, the National Domestic Violence Hotline says on its website. South Carolina has a long history of domestic violence, particularly against women. For a quarter century, the state was consistently in the top 10 nationally in the murder rate for women killed by men, according to the Violence Policy Center. While the center no longer rates states, South Carolina still outpaced the national rate. In 2022, the most recent year of data available, 56 female victims were killed by men in the state. The state still has the sixth-highest rate of domestic violence in the country, according to Break the Cycle, a nonprofit dedicated to helping survivors of domestic violence. A Senator on the committee said he's seen what strangulation can do firsthand. Sen. Ed Sutton, D-Charleston, said his cousin was the victim of domestic violence in which her abuser strangled her. After the attack, she continued to have long-term breathing issues. Tori Burke died in 2021, a year later, after contracting COVID-19, leaving behind two daughters. 'This is a pretty awful crime and a pretty awful thing for a family to go through,' he said. Still, others questioned whether the law was necessary, arguing these crimes already fall under assault. Freshman Sen. J.D. Chaplin said he worries the bill is excessive. 'Why do we need something for strangulation?' the Hartsville Republican asked. Hundreds of girls in SC are trafficking victims. A Columbia nonprofit offers help for survivors. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said he supported 'the overall context of protecting domestic violence victims and anyone else from strangulation' but wanted to know whether it would affect police trying to restrain a suspect. The bill's lead sponsor, Sen. Brian Adams, responded to questions saying strangulation tends to be more violent than a typical assault. Plus, the state Legislature already passed a law in the aftermath of George Floyd's death at the hands of police officers in Minnesota, the Goose Creek Republican reminded his fellow senators. That law banning the use of chokeholds except in a situation where deadly force would be reasonable went into effect on New Years Day 2023. The proposed strangulation charge would actually help law enforcement, according to Adams, who is a retired police officer. Cases involving strangulation tend to result in either low or medium-level assault charges, Brian Bennett, a retired officer of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, told the SC Daily Gazette. 'No law for strangulation means it can be minimized,' said Bennett, who has been advocating for strangulation laws for a decade. The bill would make strangulation a felony with significant prison time, which Bennett said better fits a crime where the effects tend to be long-lasting. It also would make it easier to track how prevalent the crime is in the state. There have been multiple bills filed in recent years to create strangulation charges, including a House proposal filed back in December before this year's session. None have gotten significant traction. Bennett has begged legislators to consider each one, with no success. Yet, he's felt the pleas slowly create awareness within the Statehouse, he said. 'I think they are more receptive than they were in the past,' he said. 'It's like every session we gain ground.'
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Community activists in Greenville call for the city's police chief's resignation
Several Greenville community activists have called for the resignation of the city's police chief. During a press conference outside the Greenville City Public Safety Complex on April 18, Derrick Quarles, Bruce Wilson, and Paul Guy questioned how officers under internal investigation are allowed to quit and move to another agency, potentially creating future public safety issues. They also cited a lack of diversity within the department. In calling for Greenville Police Chief Howie Thompson's job, Quarles, who ran for Greenville County Council District 25 in 2024, said the chief isn't who the city needs to lead the department. "People call me from this agency all the time. They're sick and tired. Chief Thompson has got to resign," Quarles said. "He is not leading this agency effectively." Thompson declined to comment on the demand that he step aside or questions about officer resignations and the department's diversity. According to documents that show why officers left the department, at least four Greenville police officers resigned in 2022 while under an internal investigation. Those same officers joined other law enforcement agencies and received recommendations from police department officials. "This practice hides misconduct. It protects the careers of these officers, and it leaves our community exposed. It's not just negligence. This is unethical, and it's really dangerous," Quarles said. Quarles said it's an accountability issue and not an anti-police issue. "Time and time again, when an officer violates policy and breaks the law, they should not be allowed to resign and continue to work in law enforcement. They should be held accountable, just like any of us are," Quarles said. According to the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, if an officer remains at the department during the internal investigation and is found guilty, the police agency must report the officer to the Justice Academy. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Training Council in Columbia would then judge the officer's case. More: Looking for an Easter egg hunt for the kids? Check out this list from Upstate communities If the Law Enforcement Council votes the officer guilty, the officer can no longer return to law enforcement. Wilson, another community activist who spoke during the press conference, said that officers who are allowed to do wrong will continue to do so if they are not reprimanded. "It creates an unsafe neighborhood for all of us," he said. The group also said the Greenville Police Department needs to do better in terms of having a diverse police force. In 2021, data obtained by The Greenville News through the Freedom of Information Act and the latest data available, the department was 87.5% white, 7.2% Black, 3.8% Hispanic, and 1.4% Asian, American Indian or native Alaskan. The city's population is about 20.5% Black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Wilson said if law enforcement wants a good relationship with the community, its staff must mirror the people they protect. "Having an individual that looks like you, having an individual that you can have a dialogue with, it is beneficial. It's helpful," Wilson said. He further criticized the police department and said they're not making an effort to consider Black job candidates. "We're not saying that you should hire just anybody because they're African American or Black," Wilson said. "You hire people that are qualified. What we're saying the problem is you're not even looking, you're not even trying, you're not making the attempt. There are a host of people that look like me, that are qualified." This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville activists criticize city's police; call for chief to quit
