Monthly Archives: March 2016
Woman charged as accessory to murder
EASLEY — Just 10 days after a man was charged with murder in the shooting death of a woman at a boat ramp near Easley, police arrested another woman for her alleged role in the aftermath of the crime.
Mary Joann Kelley, 30, of 134 Latham St. in Easley, is charged with two counts of accessory after the fact — one for murder and one for grand larceny — after police allege she helped paint a car stolen from the murder victim to help the suspected shooter “avoid the consequences of his crime,” according to warrants.
Kelley, who is being held on a combined $25,000 surety bond at the Pickens County Detention Center, was arrested last Thursday, a little more than a week after Pickens County sheriff Rick Clark announced the arrest of Kasey Clayton Waldrop, 22, on murder and weapons charges in the death of 35-year-old Reza Farah Kahn.
The body of Kahn, a mother of four from Townville, was discovered by two men who had gone to launch a boat at a Salude Lake ramp on Buckskin Road shortly before 9 a.m. on Feb. 21, according to police.
Sheriff’s office detectives received information the followign day that Kahn’s 2014 Dodge Charger was parked at an apartment complex in West Greenville on Monday evening, and when officers traveled to recover the vehicle, Waldrop was arrested after a short foot pursuit at around 7:30 p.m.
Clark said a gun that matched the caliber of the weapon used to kill Kahn was found in the vehicle, which was partially spray painted to try to cover up evidence, the sheriff said.
Chief deputy Creed Hashe said in a news release announcing Kelley’s arrest that the investigation surrounding the events before and after Kahn’s death determined that she had helped Waldrop try to conceal evidence knowing he had murdered Kahn.
Police said a motive had not been determined in the killing through the early stages of the investigation, although Clark said Waldrop and Kahn knew each other and were friends.
“It is hard to believe that a life can be taken by some of the evil we see today in our society,” Clark said.
Oconee Nuclear Station fire raises alert
Courtesy photo
A fire at the Oconee Nuclear Station on Sunday afternoon caused an elevated emergency notification protocol.
By Steven Bradley
Courtesy The Journal
sbradley@upstatetoday.com
SENECA — After a transformer fire at the Oconee Nuclear Station caused one unit to be shut down and an elevated emergency protocol declared, Duke Energy exited the alert classification at 8:16 p.m. Sunday.
[cointent_lockedcontent]Spokesperson Mikayla Kreuzberger said Monday morning that Duke was in the process of conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire.
“The safe, reliable operation of Oconee Nuclear Station is always our top priority — we take the reliability of all plant equipment seriously and will work to fully understand the events of Sunday,” she said.
Residents in the area reported hearing a loud explosion from the nuclear station on Sunday afternoon, and at 3:20 p.m., Duke declared an “unusual event,” the lowest level of classification in its emergency notification protocol.
Unit 1 at ONS was shut down, and firefighters needed more than 30 minutes to bring the transformer fire under control.
Oconee County Fire Chief Charlie King said there was no damage to the building or containment area, and the unit — one of three at the nuclear site — was shut down only as a precaution.
Scott Batson, site vice president at Oconee Nuclear Station, told media at a news conference on Monday the fire was caused by an equipment issue, but the actual cause had not yet been identified.
In dealing with the fire, Batson said it was also discovered that there was a downed power line running from the plant into Duke’s switchyard.
“Because of the impact to that equipment that goes beyond the transformer, we also declared an alert, which is the second level of notification,” he said.
Batson said Unit 1 “is stable,” and Duke would begin moving into its recovery efforts and working to determine what caused the fire, then begin restoring service to equipment that will allow the plant to exit those notification levels.
The other two units at ONS were not impacted and continued to operate.
ONS personnel reported the fire to Oconee County fire officials at 3:19 p.m., and the Keowee Fire Department arrived on scene within 10 minutes to find a large transformer outside the building engulfed in flames.
King said approximately 40 firefighters from the onsite fire brigade and Oconee and Pickens counties brought the fire under control.
The original unit at ONS, Unit 1 began commercial operation in 1973, followed by units 2 and 3 in 1974.
Unit 1 remained safely shut down Monday, Kreuzberger said, while units 2 and 3 continue to operate safely.
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Pickens Innovation Center applies for $90K ARC grant
Courtesy photo
Owned and operated by Mark Burgess, right, the Burgess General Store was one of Pickens’ newest businesses who had a booth set up at the Pickens Innovation Center’s Commercialization Day “Launch” on Monday.
By Pamela Dodson
Staff Reporter
pdodson@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — The city of Pickens is growing, and with this new growth comes opportunity.
At Monday night’s city council meeting, officials said the Pickens Innovation Center, which has helped start 13 new businesses within the city, applied for an Appalachian Regional Commission grant of $90,000 to help sustain the center in making plans for future growth.
[cointent_lockedcontent]The ARC is a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state and local government. Established by an act of Congress in 1965, ARC is composed of the governors of the 13 Appalachian states and a federal co-chair, who is appointed by the president. Local participation is provided through multi-county local development districts. ARC invests in activities that address the five goals identified in the commission’s strategic plan, which are economic opportunities, ready workforce, critical infrastructure, natural and cultural assets and leadership and community capacity.
The Innovation Center and its corporate sponsors held a Commercialization Day “Launch” to introduce the 13 new businesses to the community on Monday. During the launch, new technology developed for high-speed police pursuits was introduced in a “go-live” event in preparation to enter the market, as well as showing the potential for future growth in Pickens.
It was also announced during the meeting that the Pickens Azalea Festival Committee plans to offer a free booth to the 13 new businesses from the center.
In other business, council members approved a 20-year lease agreement with Allco in partnership with the City of Easley for the Rotary Doodle Park and passed the second reading that will allow a fourth supplemental water and sewer revenue bond to allow for issuance, sales and refunding of bonds and to amend the general bond ordinance on 2010-13.
Councilman Donnie McKinney was recognized by mayor David Owens and the rest of council for graduating on Feb. 2 from Municipal Elected Officials Institute. The Municipal Elected Officials Institute consists of both in-person and online courses. Elected officials who complete all of the required coursework receive a certificate and graduate from the institute.
“With the exception of our new council member, Lois Porter (who has started the program), all other council members and the mayor have graduated from the Elected Officials Institute,” city administrator Bruce Evilsizor said.
Pickens City Council will meet again for a work session on March 21 before its next regular monthly meeting April 4.
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
SWU Concert Choir sings at Mother Emanuel
The Southern Wesleyan University Concert Choir, directed by Dr. Don Campbell, professor of music, performed gospel selections during Sunday morning services Feb. 28 at Mother Emanuel AME Church in downtown Charleston. This was the first of several performances for the choir as they tour during Spring Break at places including Charleston, Summerville and Aiken.
Teens charged in string of damages
DACUSVILLE — Pickens County Sheriff’s Office investigators announced last week that three teenagers had been arrested in a string of property damages, mostly involving mailboxes, last month.
Three Dacusville boys, two age 14 and one age 16, were charged in the rash of incidents, in which “multiple mailboxes were damaged or stolen, along with other incidents of damage” in the Dacusville and Easley areas in February.
Because the teens are under the age of 17, their names will not be released, and they will be tried in Family Court.
Chief deputy Creed Hashe said the incidents occurred during the nighttime hours, and most of the activity was accomplished as the suspects were walking through the area.
Hashe also said the investigation is still ongoing and may lead to additional charges or additional suspects as it continues.
“We encourage victims to call the sheriff’s office to report incidents when they occur so that they can be properly investigated,” sheriff Rick Clark said. “Too often, we see the trend for people to post comments on Facebook about what they believe to be criminal behavior when the local jurisdiction has never been notified about the activity. Please remember that Facebook, which is sometimes great entertainment, will not investigate crimes in your neighborhood.
“As you can see from our recent arrests stemming from investigations into incidents of mail theft and in the above cases where personal property has been damaged, we take these problems seriously and make every effort to identify and solve cases where the community has been victimized.”
Investigators were able to clear more than 15 cases of damage with the teens’ arrests, Hashe said.
“Unfortunately, we are not able to prevent nor do we solve every crime, but the proper reporting of criminal activity is key in the mission to getting it stopped,” Clark said. “I want to personally thank our communities in the partnerships that have been formed with the sheriff’s office. Strengthening the relationship between law enforcement and our neighborhoods has allowed us to work together as we continue to make Pickens County a safer place to work and raise our families.”
Lewis gets distinguished service award
CENTRAL — The South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education named Southern Wesleyan University Education Professor Lillie G. Lewis as this year’s Dr. Randy Wall Distinguished Service Award Winner.
“This is an incredible award, and the committee did an excellent job in naming Professor Lewis as this year’s recipient! Professor Lewis was also the first African-American female to serve as President of this organization. She will be recognized at the annual conference in March,” said Dr. Sandra McLendon, dean of Southern Wesleyan’s School of Education.
Lewis teaches the middle level curriculum course for Southern Wesleyan University’s School of Education.
“She has made noteworthy contributions to ensuring excellence in middle level education and is passionate about conveying her knowledge to the middle level education students,” McLendon continued.
Lewis is also a retired educator from the School District of Greenville County, where she served in many different positions, including teaching in middle and high school and serving as principal on the elementary, middle and high school levels.
She has a M.Ed. in reading plus 30 hours in administration from Furman University.
The South Carolina Association for Middle Level Education (SCAMLE) established the Dr. Randy Wall Distinguished Service Award to honor the work of Wall, who was passionate about middle level education, having served as a middle level teacher and administrator and serving the South Carolina Middle School Association as the first president to serve a two-year term. Wall was also instrumental in helping South Carolina become a nationally-recognized “Schools to Watch” state. The Dr. Randy Wall Distinguished Service Award recognizes significant contribution(s) of an individual, school, or organization. The winner must exhibit a considerable, long-term impact on the advancement of middle level education in South Carolina. The contribution could be in one or more of the following areas: service, leadership, and/or research.
Habitat hosts student volunteers for spring break
COUNTY — 35 students from Otterbein, Vanderbilt and Harvard universities will help build homes and improve the community during their spring break as part of Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge program.
The students are spending the weeks of Feb. 29-March 18 volunteering with Pickens County Habitat.
“Every year I am amazed that these young adults take their spring break to sleep on the floor and work very hard all week to do something for someone that they do not know instead of opting to go to the beach or any one of many other spring break options. Their help is invaluable to us and the families that they work to help,” said Cindy Sanders, executive director of Pickens County Habitat for Humanity.
This year’s groups will work in Liberty, helping to build porches, work on the roof and paint and will also work in Easley to frame a house.
In total, Habitat for Humanity organizations across the U.S. will host 7,500 college and high school students in 182 communities as part of the 2016 Habitat Collegiate Challenge.
“Our Collegiate Challenge program unites students from across the country with the common goal of helping people who are ready to build a better life for themselves and their families,” said Maureen O’Leary, Habitat for Humanity International’s associate director of youth and young professional engagement. “Every hand helps Habitat homeowners build a foundation they need for a brighter future. We’re grateful to the thousands of students who choose to spend their spring break volunteering with Habitat. With our help, Habitat homeowners have the opportunity to build what we all deserve — a decent place to live.”
Since 1989, Habitat for Humanity’s Collegiate Challenge program has engaged students 16 years of age and older to spend one week volunteering on a local Habitat construction or community project. Nearly 240,000 students have volunteered a week of their time and donated over $28 million to support Habitat’s work in local communities.
Habitat’s Collegiate Challenge is one of several programs Habitat established to engage the next generation of leaders in Habitat’s work. For more information or to register for a Habitat Collegiate Challenge event, visit http://www.habitat.org/youthprograms/collegiate-challenge.
Pro wrestling show to help Special Olympics
PICKENS — Pickens Middle School will host 3 Count Pro Wrestling for “Locked and Loaded” this Saturday.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit Special Olympics, and tickets will be available for as little as $5 for general admission. Special meet-and-greet front-row tickets will be $20, while ringside seats will be $10.
NWA Mid-Atlantic legend George South will be on hand, as will 3 Count heavyweight champion “Loaded Gunz” Ken Magnum.
The card, which also features Ostgard, Tyler Gaines, Billy Brash, Sir Jonathan Buffet, Ace Armstrong, B.J. Hancock and “The Scottish Prince” Joshua O’Glesby and the Highland Embassy, is subject to change.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and bell time is set for 7:30 p.m.
For more information, call (864) 346-3908 or visit 3countprowrestling.com. The organization can also be found on Facebook or Twitter.
Pickens County Sheriff’s Office investigating Easley shooting
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
EASLEY — A shooting last week in Easley in which two adults were injured is under investigation by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.
Chief deputy Creed Hashe said the sheriff’s office received a call at approximately 5:44 p.m. March 1 regarding a shooting on Pope Field Road. Deputies arrived on the scene as two adults were being transported to the hospital — the male having sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and the female a wound to the hand.
Hashe said a preliminary investigation showed the pair are married, but currently separated. Both were injured from the same gunshot fired by a third person inside the home, according to Hashe.
“A total of four people were at the home when the incident occurred,” he said.
The chief deputy added that sheriff’s detectives are interviewing two people from the scene at the time of the shooting, one of which is believed to be the person who fired the shot.
No arrests have been made since detectives are still collecting evidence and conducting interviews, Hashe said. A handgun was seized from the residence and is believed to belong to one of the people being interviewed, neither of whom was injured in the incident.
Hashe said the incident stemmed from a domestic altercation between the couple.
The sheriff’s office doesn’t plan to release additional information until further investigation into the case can be completed.
Genealogical Society to meet March 15
CENTRAL — Guest speakers Lynda Colon and Bobby Martin will discuss the “New Easley Museum” during the next meeting of the Old Pendleton District Genealogical Society. The Chapter meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 15, at 7 p.m. at the Central-Clemson Library.
