Press Updates

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Fourth Circuit Solicitor's Office

The Fourth Circuit Solicitor’s Office added Youth Arts to its many programs in 2007. Weekly workshops are now held at Palmetto Learning Center in Chesterfield. In July, the Arts Train Players wrote and starred in their own Public Service Announcements (PSA’s). To view their work, select and click on the appropriate link.

 

¨  Drugs, Alcohol & Tobacco

¨  Gangs

¨  Teen Sex

¨  Go 911 On Cyberbullies

 

DOCKET CLEARANCE UPDATE March 31, 2008

 

¨ Chesterfield County: 71 dispositions in two General Sessions during the month of June including one trial ending in a mistrial.

                 [Next General Sessions  -  July 21]

 

¨ Darlington County: 270 dispositions during the month of June. 

                 [Next General Sessions July 14]

 

¨ Dillon County: 286 dispositions in June.

                 [Next General Sessions July 14 and July 28]

 

¨ Marlboro County:  150 dispositions in June including one trial in which the defendant was found guilty on three counts of Failure to Stop for a Blue Light, PWID Marijuana and PWID Crack Cocaine and sentenced to a total of 16 years.  

                 [Next General Sessions—July 7 and July 21]

Dear Community Leader:

 

     WE NEED YOUR HELP!

 

     The Fourth Circuit Solicitor’s Office has been hit with budget cuts like every other State agency.  The annual golf tournament we sponsor with the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Department raised enough money to fund one week of camp.  We are asking the Community for its support for our second week of camp.

 

     This year marks the tenth anniversary for the camp program.  The regular camps, to be held at Cheraw State Park’s Camp Juniper are:

 

                                  July 14 - 18           Camp Turn Around (girls)

                                  July 21 - 25           Camp Turning Point (boys)

 

     In addition, there will be a special third week added this year:  Day Camp for Mothers.  Judge Roger Henderson is requiring a number of mothers who need special attention in improving their child-raising skills to attend a week of day camp.

 

     The cost to sponsor a child is $200.00.  This is not expensive compared to the $55 per day it costs to house a juvenile awaiting adjudication, or the almost $20,000 annual cost for a child committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice.  When we check the criminal records for the children who attend camp two and four years later, we find that 8 of ten have not come back in the criminal justice system.

 

     Please help us give these kids a second chance to turn their lives around.  Your help can make the difference!

 

     If you can help us any way financially, please call Jessica McLean at (843) 623-32 65 with any questions or mail your check to CTP/CTA, PO Box 594, Chesterfield, SC  29709

 

Sincerely,  Jay Hodge

 

 

 

Camp Turning Point Golf Tournament brought out  40 teams to start swinging at two tee-off times on June 13.

Pictured  - First, second and third place winning teams.

Above, First Place winners

Below, left  - Second place winning teams

Below, right  - Third Place winning teams & Sheriff  Parker

Kenya Lamont Rivers of Bennettsville faced a jury in Marlboro County General Sessions Court in June. Found guilty of  possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine and failure to stop for a blue light, Rivers was sentenced 16 years.  Senior Prosecutor for Marlboro County Elizabeth Munnerlyn prosecuted the case.

 

Trial for Gary Lee Miles, charged with murder, kidnapping  and physical torture is set to go to trial on July 7 with Assistant Solicitor J.R. Joyner prosecuting for the State.

Camp Turning Point Golf Tournament brought out 40 teams to play in the hot summer heat this year. With a morning and afternoon start time, teams swung long and hard with winners taking home GPS guidance systems, barbecue grills and other goodies. Each team member received a camping chair from Agape Hospice.

First place winners in the 8 a.m. tee off were J. Johnson, J. Johnson, S. Bailey and J. Gink with a 51. R. Melton, M. Griggs, T. Wright and B. Watford took second and D. Miller, S. Rogers, T. Bostick and C. Hyduke placed third.

In the afternoon, R.J. Gilbert, J. Gainey, C. Poston and D. Hogge drove it home with a 53 to take first place. S. Welch, M. Kaafrek, T. Freeman and D. Oliver won second place and K. Redmond, J. Spivey, M. Spivey and L. Mathis took third.

The tournament is sponsored by the Fourth Circuit Solicitor’s Office and the Chesterfield Sheriff’s Department to help support the Solicitor’s summer camps for at-risk youth. The camps no state funding and are dependant upon charitable donations and fundraisers like the golf tournament to support the program.

For many of the youth attending, this is the last chance before incarceration. The camps have an 87 percent success rate, meaning that over 80 percent of the youth who attend do not reenter the justice system.

This year there will be an extra week of day-camp for mothers of at-risk youth who are ordered by the court to attend.