SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL (on-line version)
http://www.GoUpstate.com/
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Posted on-line December 13, 2003

BellSouth Pioneers fit Police with Bulletproof Vests

By Benny Lee Smith, Staff Writer

Spartanburg's retired BellSouth employees held a luncheon at the Piedmont Club Friday, but it wasn't just about food.
Instead the volunteer group, called Pioneers, donated eight bulletproof vests to Spartanburg and Blacksburg police officers.
They also gave a $2,054 check to the S.C. School for the Deaf and the Blind to help build a dance studio and donated toys for children living in the Children's Shelter in Spartanburg.
"This really affects the morale of our officers because they now know that there are organizations out there who support what we are trying to do," Blacksburg Police Chief Jamie Ham said.
Patrol officers Derrick Greer, Peter McBride and Matt Gordon will use the vests since their old vests were hand-me-downs and didn't fit properly.
The other three vests were given to two Spartanburg city officers and a county deputy.
Spartanburg BellSouth Pioneers raised $4,000 to buy the eight vests at $500 each. Organizers say they plan to raise more money so other law enforcement officers also can get updated vests.
Another special part of Friday's luncheon was the presentation of a $2,054 check to the S.C. School for Deaf and the Blind President Sheila Breitweiser. Breitweiser told the crowd of 80 pioneers that the money would be used to build a dance studio for the hearing impaired.
Breitweiser said a lot of their students wanted to learn ballet, but there was no studio for them to practice. She also said that dance teachers outside the school said it would be hard to teach deaf students because they can't feel the music. A new state-of-the-art studio will have special sound equipment so deaf students can feel the vibrations from the hardwood floor.
In addition to the check, BellSouth Pioneers also presented hand-made pillows shaped in the form of a heart for Spartanburg Regional Medical Center patients who undergo heart surgery.
Patients use the pillows while they are recovering.
Pioneers also collected a barrel full of toys at their luncheon Friday for youngsters at the Children's Shelter.

SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL (on-line version)
http://www.GoUpstate.com/
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Posted on-line December 10, 2003

BellSouth Donating Bulletproof Vests to Local Police Forces.

BellSouth Pioneer Volunteers will present 24 bullet-proof vests to 10 law enforcement agencies throughout the Upstate. The BellSouth Pioneer Volunteers are partnering with In-Vest USA, a South Carolina based nonprofit organization that raises money to purchase bulletproof vests for law enforcement officers. Sixteen vests are being donated to police officers from Oconee, Pickens, Anderson and Greenville Counties. Additional vests are being donated to police officers from York County, Blacksburg, Spartanburg City and Spartanburg County.

SPARTANBURG COUNTY GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WEBSITE
Spartanburg County's 7th Circuit Solicitor Press Release
http://www.co.spartanburg.sc.us/govt/depts/sol/lyerly.htm

Posted on December 05, 2003

Blacksburg School Volunteer Sentenced to Prison for Lewd Act on a Child

A Blacksburg Elementary school volunteer received a 3-year prison sentence today after a Cherokee County jury determined that he inappropriately touched an 8-year-old girl several times while working as a classroom volunteer.
The jury convicted Keith Lyerly, 48, of 3410 Peachtree Road, Chesnee, of lewd act on a minor. Circuit Judge Mark Hayes issued a 15-year sentence that is suspended to the service of 3 years and five years of probation. The incidents occurred in September 2002 while Lyerly worked as an assistant in his wife’s third-grade class. Lyerly laid a notebook or papers in the child’s lap and assist her with cursive writing with his left hand while he used his right hand to touch her private area under the book or papers. The girl reported the activity to her mother on Oct. 1, 2002.
Blacksburg police arrested Lyerly Dec. 3, 2002 after a comprehensive two-month investigation that included a forensic assessment of the victim at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Spartanburg. In the forensic assessment, the child described Lyerly’s actions in detail.
Lyerly confessed to the crime when the officer served the arrest warrant on him.
“The victim in this case is a brave little girl,” Assistant Solicitor Derrick Bulsa said. “She did a wonderful job with her testimony.”
The sentence requires Lyerly to register as a sex offender once he is released from prison.

SPARTANBURG COUNTY GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL WEBSITE
Spartanburg County's 7th Circuit Solicitor Press Release
http://www.co.spartanburg.sc.us/govt/depts/sol/floyd.htm

Posted on October 22, 2003

Former Blacksburg Church Secretary Sentenced for Breach of Trust Conviction

A former secretary at Blacksburg First Baptist Church has been sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years of probation after she admitted to taking about $6,000 from her employer.
Karen Lee Floyd, 45, of 308 W. Cherokee St., pleaded guilty to breach of trust on Oct. 14, 2003 before Circuit Judge Derham Cole. The judge issued a 10-year sentence that was suspended to 90 days in jail, three years of probation, more than $9,200 in restitution and 100 hours of community service.
The crime occurred between March 2001 and May 2002 while Floyd worked as the church secretary and an accounts payable clerk. During an interview with a State Law Enforcement Division Agent, Floyd said she got behind on some personal bills and began overpaying herself without anyone’s authorization. Floyd said she would take blank church checks, have deacons pre-sign them and make the checks out to herself. She said she planned to re-pay the church but she left the job before she turned over any money.
For more information, contact Murray Glenn at 809-4892.

SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL (on-line version)
http://www.GoUpstate.com/
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Posted on-line October 18, 2003

Cashiers Charged in Alcohol Bust

By Lynne Powell, Cherokee County Bureau

BLACKSBURG -- Six store cashiers were charged with selling alcohol to a minor following a three-hour police sting Thursday.
The operation was an effort to reduce the number of minors who are able to purchase alcoholic beverages from convenience and grocery stores, said Danny Swofford, the officer who issued tickets to those charged.
"We hadn't done this in a while and it shows that people are still selling alcohol to people under 21," Swofford said. "(Cashiers) could lose their jobs and are subject to a fine, but they continue doing it."
All stores targeted in the operation are located in the city of Blacksburg. The employees issued traffic summons will have their cases heard in the Blacksburg Magistrate's Court and if found guilty, face a fine, Swofford said.
Those charged are James Stokes, of Clover, S.C., an employee of Blacksburg Petroleum World; Tammy Camp of 332 Pearson St. in Blacksburg, employee of Mac's ABC store; Mary Thorpe of Bessemer, S.C., an employee of Corner Stop 14; Michael Foster of 122 Roark Road, Blacksburg, an employee of 102 Fuel Center; Brittany Smith of 116 Seven Springs Road, an employee of Piggly Wiggly; Melissa Dawn Wallace of Shelby, N.C., an employee of Flying J Travel Plaza.

SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL (on-line version)
http://www.GoUpstate.com/
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Posted on-line September 01, 2003

Train Hits, Kills Man at Crossing in Blacksburg

By Teresa Killian , Staff Writer

BLACKSBURG -- A 37-year-old Blacksburg man died early Sunday after he was struck by a freight train.
Sammy Fred Bridges of 594 W. Carolina St. appeared to have fallen asleep on the tracks between Charleston Street and another crossing, said Glenn Fuller, deputy coroner with the Cherokee County Coroner's Office.
Norfolk Southern train officials saw something on the tracks as they approached about 12:30 a.m. Sunday and sounded an alarm but were not able to stop in time, Fuller said. Train officials called for emergency assistance.
Bridges was pronounced dead at the scene.
The case remains under investigation. An autopsy will be conducted this week.
No charges are pending. Blacksburg Police said there was no indication Sunday of any wrongdoing.

SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL (on-line version)
http://www.GoUpstate.com/
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Posted on-line July 15, 2003

Report: Two in Truck Rob Store Worker

Blacksburg police are investigating a man's claim that he was robbed while taking a store deposit to the bank Monday afternoon.
Manuel Antonio Brito, an employee of the Southern Convenience Store on West Cherokee Street, told officers he was taking the store's weekend deposit totaling $6,420 to Palmetto Bank, which also is located on Cherokee Street, when two men robbed him at gunpoint, an incident report states.
Brito said two white males inside a white Ford pickup displaying a paper tag cut in front of his vehicle, and the passenger jumped out and put a gun to his neck and demanded money, the report states.
Brito told authorities he gave the man the money and they drove away, according to the report.
Bank tellers facing a plate glass window told police they did not see a white truck. A sheriff's deputy close to the area also did not see the truck, according to Chief Jamie Ham.
Police took a bank surveillance tape into custody and will review it, Ham said.

NEWS CHANNEL 14 CAROLINA
http://www.news14charlotte.com/
Charlotte, North Carolina

June 25, 2003

Homicide Suspects Put Behind Bars

SHELBY, N.C. -- Two murders in two different towns almost two months apart from each other -- law enforcement officials in Cleveland County announced a connection Wednesday morning.
"The Cleveland County Sheriff's Office and the Shelby Police Department want to announce the arrest of the suspects involved in the homicide of Rajshawn Chatman that happened on Shannonhouse Street in Shelby on April 29 and the arrest of the suspects involved in the homicide of Jeffery Todd Rogers that happened on Pearce Court in Kings Mountain on Saturday, June 14," Capt. Brian Hawkins of the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department said.
Police announced Wednesday the arrests of seven suspects involved in two separate Cleveland County homicides.
Police said both homicides were drug-related and involved some of the same suspects. Brothers Maurice, Walter and David Chambers; Derrick Wilson; Johnny White; Sergio McClain; and Frederick Moore are a group of seven that calls itself the "chopper boys," police said.
"I think that primarily came about with the Chambers brothers having a tattoo of a C on their neck, which developed into choppers, plus the weapons of choice that they use, automatic weapons," said Det. Shane Petty of the Sheriff’s Department.
The arrests came just a week after an inter-agency roundup of 26 street-level drug dealers in Cleveland County. The recent surge in arrests is due in large part to a renewed focus by the county's law enforcement agencies to work together.
"In December of 2002, we had a new sheriff take over here, and that was one of our main goals, inter-department cooperation,” Hawkins said. “We are steadily and faithfully working towards that, and you can see in what we did with this case that we're working on that very hard and it has paid off."
Police said Jeffery Todd Rogers was murdered on Pearce Court in Kings Mountain. Police said the investigation will continue, with other charges and arrests expected. Charges could include conspiracy and aiding and abetting.
Among the agencies which worked together on the arrests are the Cleveland County Sheriff's Department, Shelby and Kings Mountain Police, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Blacksburg (S.C.) Police Department.

SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL (on-line version)
http://www.GoUpstate.com/
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Posted on-line June 08, 2003

Brown – Meredith

COWPENS -- April Kathleen Brown of Cowpens and George Wayne Meredith of Gastonia, N.C., were married at 2 p.m. May 31 at Strings of the Heart.
The Rev. Kenneth Reid performed the ceremony that was followed by a reception.
Mrs. Meredith is the daughter of Rocky and Gloria Blackwell of Cowpens. She is a graduate of Chesnee High School and Spartanburg Technical College. She is a nurse at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System.
Mr. Meredith is the son of Eller Perkins of Gastonia, N.C., and the late Grady Meredith. He is a graduate of Hunter Huss High School and Cleveland Community College. He is employed with the Blacksburg Police Department.
Missy Swofford of Cowpens was matron of honor. Bridesmaids were Angie Jackson of Chesnee and Danielle Messer of Inman, cousins of the bride.
Kayla Blackwell of Chesnee, niece of the bride, and Karly Swofford of Cowpens were flower girls and Danny Ray Swofford Jr. of Cowpens was ring bearer.
[Blacksburg Police Officer] Danny Swofford of Cowpens was best man. Ushers were George Wayne Meredith Jr., son of the groom, and [Blacksburg Police Officer] Zeb Starnes of Smyrna. Music was provided by Strings of the Heart.
After a cruise to Jamaica and Mexico, the couple resides in Cowpens.

THE GAFFNEY LEDGER
http://www.gaffneyledger.com/
Gaffney, South Carolina

Monday, May 26, 2003

Memorial Pays Tribute to Fallen Officers

By Tara Jennings
Ledger Staff Writer

While many people see Memorial Day as a chance to honor the lives of war veterans, police officers also memorialize the lives of their fellow officers who have been killed in the line of duty during this time of the year.
Officers from the Blacksburg Police Department and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office had an opportunity to pay tribute to the lives of fallen officers and their families during a recent trip to Washington, D.C.
Nine officers traveled to the nation's capitol May 12 to take part in National Peace Officers Memorial Day.
Attending the week-long ceremonies were Danny Swofford, Peter McBride, Mark Gooch, Dane Garrick, Matt Gordon and Zeb Starnes, all of the Blacksburg department, and Dennis Stroupe, Bo Caughman and Harvey Owens of the Sheriff's Office.
"It was an eye opener," Gordon said of the trip. "It made you think about all the people that did get killed in the line of duty."
Around 15,000 people took part in a Candlelight Vigil that honored the lives of 161 officers killed in the line of duty. While many of those officers were killed last year, around 13 were killed earlier in our nation's history. They are being honored now since Memorial researchers just discovered them.
The names of those officers will be engraved into the police memorial.
The week-long ceremonies included a Wreathlaying Ceremony on Thursday and a speech by President George W. Bush.
"Listening to the President speak Thursday, talking about guys falling in the line of duty, it made you open your eyes, and think," Garrick said
Swofford said he enjoyed the chance to meet other officers from around the country and talking with them about their experiences on the job. He said it was hard talking with officers and families who had lost someone in the line of duty, as they were remembering their loved one.
"It makes you realize that the day you go to work, you may not come home," Swofford said, adding that he tries not to think about that so it doesn't affect his job performance.
The ceremonies left many people in awe, including co-chair Karen Lippe of the National Peace Officer's Memorial Service, who compiles information on fallen officers for the memorial.
"It was quite difficult for me to visit the law enforcement memorial following the May 15th Memorial Service and actually see each of these officers' names engraved on the wall," Lippe said. "At that moment I realized that these were not just names and stories I had worked with all year long. They were husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, mothers, wives, daughters, sisters and even grandparents. They were people with loved ones left behind. They were people that loved movies, picnics, shopping, spending time with their children, bowling, golf, singing in the choir, Christmas and the Fourth of July. They were people just like me."

THE GAFFNEY LEDGER
http://www.gaffneyledger.com/
Gaffney, South Carolina

Monday, May 26, 2003

Man Found Guilty of Drug Charges, Will be Back in Court Soon

By Tara Jennings
Ledger Staff Writer

CAPTION - Napoleon [Nepolean] Thompson [III] was found guilty of possession of crack cocaine in court on Thursday.
A Blacksburg man who was sentenced to two years probation on drug charges will be in court again in two weeks to face additional charges.
Napoleon [Nepolean] Thompson [III] was found guilty of possession of crack cocaine following his trial in General Sessions Court on Thursday. His two-year prison sentence was suspended to two years probation.
Thompson was originally charged with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in close proximity of a school or playground.
The jury found him not guilty on those charges, and instead found him guilty on the lesser charge of possession of crack cocaine.
Thompson was arrested after officers executed a search warrant on him in a roadway within a half mile of Blacksburg Elementary School. Police seized .76 of an ounce of crack cocaine and $2,653 in cash, they said.
Thompson's attorney Trent Pruett argued that the money, which he described as the prosecution's "bait" in the case, was not enough to make his client a criminal or a drug dealer. Pruett explained that Thompson's wife had just recently received money from a settlement and he was going to pay off their car with the money he had in his wallet.
Pruett also argued that the amount of crack cocaine that Thompson was found with is not even what the state considers to be inferring that someone is dealing. The "inference" amount is one ounce.
Assistant Solicitor Able Gray of the Seventh Circuit Solicitor's Office told the jury that Thompson threw the drugs in the air and ran from police. He also argued that Thompson, who claimed to have the drugs for his personal use, did not have any other paraphernalia commonly used to smoke crack cocaine, such as wrapping papers or a pipe.
Gray said Thompson will be back in court in two weeks on additional drug charges that stem from an incident in December. He faces possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine in close proximity of a school or playground during the next court term.
Thompson also has five more pending drug charges, Gray said.

SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL (on-line version)
http://www.GoUpstate.com/
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Posted on-line May 15, 2003

Drug Suspect Jailed after Police Scuffle

A Blacksburg man faces three drug charges and a charge of resisting arrest after police say he elbowed an officer in the head in an effort to escape arrest.
Cherokee County [actually, Blacksburg Police] Metro Narcotics Unit Agent A.B. Phillips saw Jameal Wyderin Sharpe, 20, of 505 Seven Springs St. walking down Boxcar Alley about 6:30 p.m. Phillips knew Sharpe had a bench warrant for his arrest and approached him to inform him of the warrant, an incident report states.
A search of Sharpe after his arrest revealed he had two clear bags containing a white, rocklike substance believed to be crack cocaine in his back left pocket, the report states. Sharpe tried to run, and when another officer tried to catch him, he hit the officer in the head with his elbow, causing both of them to fall, the report states.
Sharpe also struggled when officers tried to handcuff him, the report states.
Phillips charged Sharpe with possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute crack within a half mile of a school, possessing crack and resisting arrest.
Sharpe is awaiting a bail hearing at the Cherokee County jail.

SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL (on-line version)
http://www.GoUpstate.com/
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Posted on-line May 06, 2003

Blacksburg Couple Faces Pornography Charges

By Lynne Powell, Cherokee County Bureau

BLACKSBURG -- A Blacksburg couple faces pornography charges and their business license may be in jeopardy after police say they sold XXX-rated DVDs and videotapes from their store.
Agent A.B. Phillips of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office [actually, of the Blacksburg Police Department] charged James Richard Raines, 65, and Janice Kay Raines, 54, of Carolina Townhouse Apartments, E-8, with disseminating, procuring or promoting obscenity.
Janice Raines is listed as the owner of Useful Things Consignment Store, located at 105 North Shelby St. She has owned the shop since September 2000, the business license states.
An incident report claims that the couple sold XXX-rated DVDs and videotapes to an undercover operative on two occasions. Officers executed a search warrant and found 33 XXX-rated DVDs in a cardboard box inside the store and 50 XXX-rated VHS tapes in Janice Raines' vehicle, which was parked in front of the store, the report states.
When reached by phone on Monday, Janice Raines said that the shop remained open, but wouldn't comment further on the charges.
Blacksburg Police Chief Jamie Ham said he would ask Town Council to review Useful Things' business license.
James and Janice Raines were released from the Cherokee County jail Saturday on personal recognizance bonds.

SPARTANBURG HERALD-JOURNAL (on-line version)
http://www.GoUpstate.com/
Spartanburg, South Carolina

Posted on-line March 09, 2003

Brown – Meredith

COWPENS -- Rocky and Gloria Blackwell of Cowpens announce the engagement of their daughter, April Kathleen Brown of Cowpens to George Wayne Meredith of Blacksburg, son of Eller Meredith of Clover, and the late Grady Meredith.
A wedding is planned for May 31 at Strings of the Heart in Campobello.
Miss Brown is a graduate of Chesnee High School and received a degree in nursing from Spartanburg Technical College. She is employed in the Neuro Unit at Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System.
Mr. Meredith is a graduate of Hunter Huss High School in Gastonia, N.C. and received a degree in criminal justice from Cleveland Community College. He is employed with the Blacksburg Police Department.