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
CHAPIN, SC – March 19, 2025 – Chief Thomas W. Griffin of the Chapin Police Department has made history as the first officer from the department to graduate from the prestigious FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Chief Griffin was among 244 law enforcement officers who completed the intensive 10-weekContinue 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
Deputies past and present have been gathering for more than a quarter century By W. Thomas Smith Jr. SHERIFF LEON LOTT AND THE RICHLAND COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT (RCSD) hosted the department’s 27th annual retirees’ luncheon at RCSD’s Denny Terrace training headquarters substation – the cafeteria-auditorium of the former Denny TerraceContinue Reading
How the hit TV series benefits the Richland County Sheriff’s Department By W. Thomas Smith Jr. [A version of this article was published in POLICE1, March 11, 2025] SINCE ITS TELEVISION PREMIER on July 22, 2022, “On Patrol: Live,” a reality TV docuseries produced by Half Moon Pictures and airingContinue Reading
IRMO – Two Dutch Fork High School students were detained Tuesday after school resource officers (SROs) received tips that they had brought firearms onto campus. According to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old had weapons in a vehicle they arrived in that morning. A search ofContinue 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
Richland County, SC – The Richland County Sheriff’s Department has arrested five teenagers in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred on January 28, 2025, in the 1000 block of Miles Bowman Rd. Deputies responded to reports of gunfire around 9:30 p.m. and discovered a 23-year-old man deceased in theContinue 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
At least $50,000 raised for Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s K-9 unit By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD), RCSD K-9s, and friends and supporters of RCSD and local law enforcement gathered at Columbia Flag & Sign Company in West Columbia for the first-ever “Dog-a-thonContinue Reading
The Chapin Police Department has added a new officer to its ranks. Officer Kevin Adcock brings extensive experience and dedication to the role, having served in the United States Marine Corps and retired from the National Guard. In addition to his military service, Adcock has many years of law enforcementContinue Reading
Popular law enforcement leader and former National Sheriff of the Year takes oath of office, again By W. Thomas Smith Jr. For the eighth-consecutive time since 1997, Leon Lawson Lott raised his right hand and was re-sworn as sheriff of Richland County, Tuesday morning, Jan. 7 at the Richland CountyContinue 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