Young girl lured into woods, sexually assaulted

EASLEY — A registered sex offender was arrested Friday after Pickens County sheriff’s deputies said he lured a young girl into the woods and sexually assaulted her.

Deputies were called to Apple Hill Road in Easley on Friday in response to a complaint of criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Investigators were told that a young girl was enticed away from her home and into a wooded area nearby, where she was sexually assaulted.
The child was treated for her injuries at Greenville Memorial Hospital.

Deputies charged Jerry Edward Dudley, 42, of 332 Apple Hill Road, with criminal sexual conduct with a minor under age 11, kidnapping and abuse/inflicting great bodily injury upon a child.

Dudley is actively listed on the South Carolina Sex Offenders Registry stemming from a sexual battery on a victim under age 12 in Florida in 1989.

Dudley was denied bond and is being held at the Pickens County Detention Center.

By Nicole Daughhetee
Courier Staff

EASLEY — Rick Clark, Pickens County’s first new sheriff in more than 40 years, was ceremoniously sworn in and took his oath of office before a large audience at Rock Springs Baptist Church during the church’s evening service Sunday.

Delivering the oath of office was Pickens County Judge Eddie Welmaker, and standing beside Clark holding the Bible upon which he placed his hand was his supportive wife Tani.

Senator Larry Martin and Representatives Davey Hiott and Phil Owens were also present for the ceremony, along with approximately 20 members of the sheriff’s office staff — those who will make up Clark’s team of first responders and deputies.

Dr. David Gallamore, pastor of Rock Springs, welcomed congregants and guests. He recognized the team of first responders from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, having them stand so they could all be applauded for the service they perform in the community.

“This is something we’ve not ever done before,” Gallamore said. “Maybe God will let the next governor, maybe the next president, will come out of Rock Springs.

“This is a special night for Rick Clark. We pray for him and all of our other elected officials.”

LIBERTY — The city of Liberty has scheduled a special election to fill the unexpired term of city councilman Rick Clark, who took office as sheriff of Pickens County this week.

The special municipal election will be held on Tuesday, April 2. A runoff, if necessary, will be held two weeks later.

The election will be a non-partison election, and no party affiliation will be placed on the ballot.

Clark’s council seat is an at-large seat, so any Liberty resident who has lived in the city for at least 30 days before the election may file as a candidate beginning at noon on Friday, Jan. 18. Filing closes at noon on Monday, Jan. 28, and candidates can file with the city clerk at City Hall during normal business hours.

EASLEY — Two people have been arrested and three more remain at large after a Dec. 17 shooting and burglary at a home on Angie Lane in Easley.

According to warrants from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, Danny William Adams Jr., 23, of 121 Waccamaw Lane in Central, Charles Antoine Burgess, 31, of 3761 Moorefield Memorial Highway in Pickens, and Robert Matthew Fulmer, 23, of 264 Watts Road in Liberty all face charges of attempted murder and burglary charges. Adams and Fulmer also face charges of petit larceny and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

Adams and Burgess have been arrested and are currently being held at the Pickens County Detention Center without bond.

Officers with the PCSO also charged two females with accessory after the fact.

Investigators say a home on Angie Lane in Easley was broken into at about 10:45 p.m. Dec. 17, and shots were fired. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the homeowner lying in the yard of the residence with multiple people surrounding him. He had been shot three times, but none of the wounds were life-threatening according to police.

COLUMBIA — South Carolina taxpayers affected by the information security data breach at the South Carolina Department of Revenue now have until March 31, 2013, to sign up for a year of free credit monitoring and unlimited fraud resolution provided by Experian.
The deadline to sign up for monitoring and fraud resolution had been January 31, 2013.

Governor Nikki Haley reiterated that anyone who has filed a South Carolina tax return since 1998 should take the following steps:

• Call 1-866-578-5422 to enroll in a consumer protection service. (The call center is open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. EST on Monday through Friday and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. EST on Saturday and Sunday.)

• For any South Carolina taxpayer who wishes to bypass the telephone option, there currently is an online service available at http://www.protectmyid.com/scdor. Enter the code SCDOR123 when prompted.

Experian’s ProtectMyID Alert is designed to detect, protect and resolve potential identity theft, and includes daily monitoring of all three credit bureaus. The alerts and daily monitoring services are provided for one year, and consumers will continue to have access to fraud resolution agents and services beyond the first year.  Complimentary 12-month ProtectMyID memberships available to South Carolina taxpayers affected by the DOR information security breach include:

By Nicole Daughgetee
Courier Staff

EASLEY — The city of Easley experienced tremendous growth and development during 2012.

Here is a look back — a year in review — of Easley’s major highlights and a look forward to 2013 and the goals on which the city has set its sights.

Easley’s Town Center continues to grow and develop opening doors for employment opportunities and bolstering the local economy, as Pickens County consumers have more retail and eatery options.

“In 2012, the Easley Town Center saw the opening of Kohl’s, Academy Sports, PetSmart and Tractor Supply, among others. Longhorn Steakhouse also opened,” said Easley city administrator Fox Simons. “In 2013 we should see Sam’s Club, Marshall’s and even more.”
While Simons did not feel comfortable offering concrete numbers concerning the Town Center, it was evident during the recent holiday season that the Town Center had consistently full parking lots.
Easley mayor Larry Bagwell said that the city is very pleased with how the project is progressing.

By Nicole Daughhetee
Courier Staff

Both of my daughters were born via C-section. After more than 24 hours of labor (I was determined to have Emerson naturally), she was in distress, and I had to have an emergency C-section to protect her life.

After that birthing experience, I opted to have a scheduled C-section with Ella because I didn’t want to risk putting her through the same complications and trauma Emerson had to endure only moments before she made her grand entrance into the world.

Ella was born on July 11, 2005. Everything about the C-section was normal and without complication. I spent two nights in the hospital with Ella and was discharged with a clean bill of health.

Three weeks later I experienced the first of what would be three post-partum hemorrhages.

I started bleeding on a Friday afternoon, but after about 30 minutes, it stopped. The following Monday, it started again without ceasing. On that day, I lost so much blood that I fainted and started seizing before paramedics arrived. After being transported to Greenville Memorial Hospital, the bleeding slowed down and eventually stopped.

Calvin Hughes

Easley — Calvin Curtis Hughes, Sr., 79, of 118 Nora Avenue, died Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012 at his home.

Born in Pickens County, a son of the late Ed and Dora Turner Hughes, Mr. Hughes was a self employed carpenter and was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

Surviving are four children, Calvin Hughes, Jr., Elaine Stokes (Joe), Drew Hughes and Shirley Raines; six grandchildren, two of which are very special, Nikki Stokes, who he called his ray of sunshine and Wesley Stokes; six great-grandchildren, one of which was very special, Halie Stokes; two special sisters, Faye Mills and Wilma Strange; two special sisters-in-law, Jenny Hughes and Jennie Lance; and two special nieces, Jean Smith and Norma Price.

Memorial services were at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26 at Tremont Church of God, 2854 New Easley Highway, Greenville, SC with Pastor Timothy Kerns officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Providence Care Hospice, 202 Wall Street, Piedmont, SC 29673.

Condolences may be expressed online at www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or in person at Robinson Funeral Home-Downtown which is assisting the family.