South Carolina agency coordinates law enforcement efforts with NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement By W. Thomas Smith Jr. AS SPRING TURNS TO SUMMER and South Carolina vacationers’ thoughts turn to the Palmetto State’s 187 miles of pristine coastline, so too does the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ (SCDNR’s) law-enforcement armContinue Reading
Amari Smith, age 24, of Columbia, has received a sentence of 30 years for his role in the April 16, 2022 Columbiana Mall mass shooting. Smith pled guilty November 1, 2024, following the trial of State v. Jewayne Price in Lexington County. Price was convicted by a jury in OctoberContinue Reading
LEXINGTON, S.C. – Lexington County deputies have arrested a Greensboro, North Carolina, woman accused of using fake cashier’s checks to make several purchases, including multiple vehicles. Sierra Blair Stewart, 34, is charged with three counts of forgery for $10,000 or more, and one count each of presenting an altered vehicleContinue Reading
Training developed in-house said to be the first on its scale in the Palmetto State By W. Thomas Smith Jr. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) held its first-ever graduation of 22 deputy sheriffs enrolled in the department’s new TACTICAL MEDICAL PROGRAM, which prepares deputies for the full-spectrum of challengesContinue Reading
LEXINGTON, S.C. — A motorcycle driver died following a collision with another vehicle on South Lake Drive in the Red Bank area of Lexington County. “Based on information from the scene, the motorcycle driver was operating recklessly when a deputy observed them and began attempting a traffic stop,” said LexingtonContinue Reading
LEXINGTON, S.C. – Lexington County deputies have arrested a man accused of attacking a woman outside her home and stalking her at her job. Joey Miles Strickland, 41, is charged with first-degree assault and battery, kidnapping, and stalking, according to arrest warrants. “The sequence of events between Strickland and theContinue Reading
LEXINGTON, S.C. – A White Knoll High School teacher is accused of assaulting a student at the school. Fritzie Suerto Refamonte, 45, is charged with third-degree assault and battery, according to an arrest warrant. “When we became aware of this incident, we opened an investigation and determined Refamonte allegedly assaultedContinue Reading
Columbia, SC — The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is opening a new exit ramp from I-20 West to I-26 West on January 9, marking a significant step in Phase 2 of the Carolina Crossroads Project. The new ramp is expected to open late in the day to allowContinue Reading
A shooting on December 24 claimed the life of a 4-year-old child in the Harbison area of Lexington County. Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher has identified the victim as Jah’el E. Walker of Columbia. The child was shot while inside a vehicle in the 200 block of Harbison Boulevard andContinue Reading
Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher has identified Brittany Rosalinda Valencia, 16, of Columbia, as the victim of a two-vehicle crash on St. Andrews Road on December 9. The accident occurred around 8:45 p.m. in the 4400 block of St. Andrews Road. Valencia was a passenger in an eastbound vehicle thatContinue Reading