Tenth annual summer blood drive deemed a success by all three participating first-responder agencies By W. Thomas Smith Jr. For the 10th year in a row, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) has bested the City of Columbia Police Department (CPD) and the Columbia-Richland Fire Department in the competitively friendlyContinue Reading
LAKE MURRAY – A sudden lightning strike injured 20 people at the Lake Murray Public Park near the Dreher Shoals Dam around 5 p.m. on Monday, June 24. Emergency officials say the lightning bolt came from a random storm cloud on an otherwise sunny afternoon, striking the water and causingContinue Reading
Mark A. Scheibler, age 50, has been sentenced to Life in prison following his conviction in Lexington County for Murder and Possession of a Weapon during commission of a Violent Crime. Judge Walton J. McLeod, IV imposed the sentence following a trial last week in Lexington County General Sessions Court.Continue Reading
Lexington Police Department helps residents beat the heat with annual program LEXINGTON, SC – With summer temperatures already soaring, the Lexington Police Department is once again offering a helping hand—and a cool breeze—through its annual “Operation: Cool Down” program. Launched to assist residents during the sweltering South Carolina summer, theContinue Reading
COLUMBIA, SC – The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) has charged three individuals in connection with a dog fighting operation in Richland County. On June 12, Markus Anjawn Brown, 47, of Columbia, was arrested and charged with Criminal Conspiracy and Animal Fighting. The following day, he was also charged withContinue Reading
Deputies and K9s will race in the popular 5K alongside Midlands-area runners, many participating with their pet dogs By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Registration is open for the 14th-annual GUARDIANS OF THE NIGHT, a 5K road race in support of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s (RCSD) K9 teams (dogsContinue Reading
New Summer initiative announced by Palmetto State leaders this week By W. Thomas Smith Jr. U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson, S.C. Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Director Tom Mullikin, and other state leaders stood on the north steps of the S.C. State House, Monday, and announcedContinue Reading
CVETS Offers Free Emergency Care for Law Enforcement K9s COLUMBIA, S.C. — In a show of appreciation for law enforcement service dogs, CVETS (Columbia Veterinary Emergency Trauma and Specialty) has launched a new program offering free emergency and specialty veterinary care for K9s injured in the line of duty. TheContinue Reading
SCDNR’s Lance Corporal Mike Norris becomes the Palmetto State’s Top Cop for 2024 By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Lance Corporal Gene “Mike” Norris III, a law enforcement officer (game warden) with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), received the state’s highest law enforcement honor – the Governor’s State LawContinue Reading
LEXINGTON, S.C. – Two members of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department’s public information team recently earned a highly selective professional designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence. The Commission of Professional Credentialing met last month to confer the public information officer designation on Sarah Alexander and Carlee Hatchell. TheyContinue Reading
Five K-9s from three S.C. LE agencies perished in 2024 By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Deceased K-9s with the Richland County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Department have been honored with a beautiful new memorial statue in RCSD’s memorial garden in front of RCSD headquarters in Columbia. The statue was officially unveiled, Thursday,Continue Reading
Vernon Jenkins, 42, Altariq Cole, 39, and Dyshawn Hines, 42 — all from New Jersey — were all convicted last week by a Lexington County jury and sentenced to 30 years in prison for their roles in a shooting that took place at the Country Inn & Suites on PineyContinue Reading
LEXINGTON, S.C. – A former administrative employee of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department has been charged with obtaining goods under false pretenses, according to the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Shekinah Shyann Sade Brown, 24, was arrested after turning herself in at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department headquarters on TuesdayContinue Reading
Robert Allen Gaffney, a 38-year-old man from Lexington County, has been convicted of Attempted Murder following a plea entered March 13. The Honorable Walton J. McLeod IV sentenced Gaffney to 25 years in prison. Under South Carolina law, the Attempted Murder charge is classified as a violent crime and isContinue Reading
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Strength, teamwork, and community spirit were on full display on March 22 as 32 teams took on the challenge of pulling a fire truck down Hampton Street—all for a great cause. The 12th annual Fire Truck Pull, a beloved community tradition, raised an impressive $64,000 to benefitContinue Reading
Special medical training for Richland County deputies puts them in a class of their own By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Following months of intensive training in emergency medical care and now Advanced Life Support (ALS) licensing, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) has achieved a level of departmental emergency medicalContinue Reading