The American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys has recognized the exceptional performance of South Carolina's Criminal Law Attorney Christopher Wellborn as 2018 10 Best Criminal Law Attorneys for Client Satisfaction.
Man charged with girlfriend's death
South Carolina authorities took a 25-year-old man into custody for allegedly killing his girlfriend. The man called police saying that he had woken up to find his girlfriend dead. He also told a dispatcher that there was blood everywhere at the scene and that he wanted to turn himself in. Police eventually found the man on Highway 9 and Pleasantdale Road, and at that time, he told officers that he didn't know what had happened.
The man eventually led police to the house where he and the victim had been staying the night before. When authorities found the victim, she had multiple stab wounds. The man who was taken into custody was charged with murder as well as being in possession of a weapon while committing a crime. Furthermore, he was charged with being a fugitive from justice as he was wanted in several other states.
Man pleads guilty to VA benefits fraud charges
On June 27, it was reported that a South Carolina man pleaded guilty in federal court to fraud charges. The 70-year-old Lowcountry man had reportedly falsely claimed to be a Vietnam military veteran.
According to the First Assistant U.S. Attorney, the man had claimed that he served in the Navy as a medic from Aug. 1, 1967 to October 31, 1967. He claimed that he had suffered wounds and other trauma during his service, for which he claimed he was awarded two purple hearts. He ultimately received more than $197,000 in benefits from the Charleston VA.
Arrests accompany South Carolina drug raid
Several South Carolina police agencies conducted a large drug raid on June 14 at a home in Conway. Police said that the raid came following complaints about drug activity taking place near the home. During the raid, police say that they found 101 Oxycodone pills and 3/4 of a pound of marijuana as well as $13,580 in cash. Police claim that the drugs were worth around $7,500 in street transactions.
Several people were arrested in the raid and handed drug and other charges. People arrested at the scene were charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol, possession of a firearm by people prohibited from having one, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. One 32-year-old man from North Carolina was also charged after being arrested at the scene. He is accused of reckless driving, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and possession of a Schedule II controlled substance. The man was arrested and booked at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.
Drug raids in South Carolina result in 6 arrests
Police detained six individuals on charges of making and distributing drugs in the Charlotte and Rockhill areas. Approximately a dozen federal agents from the FBI and DEA conducted the raids. One of the homes was declared "unsafe for living" because chemicals used for making drugs were allegedly found within the home.
The homes searched during the raid were thought to be abandoned by neighbors, who were surprised at the sudden presence of police in the area. The drugs that were seized during the search include suspected crack, cocaine, marijuana, meth and oxycodone.
Former inmates can face challenges in society
Prison life can be difficult, but so can life for South Carolina residents once they are no longer behind bars. After your loved one’s release from prison, he or she may face challenges you would never have imagined. Some of these difficulties can be enough to make a former prisoner commit a crime again and end up back behind bars.
According to the National Association of Social Workers, roughly half of all released prisoners go on to recidivate and return to prison within three years of their release. This may be due to problems in society or to the lifestyle your relative may have become accustomed to while incarcerated. The challenges of reintegration often include the following:
- A criminal record making it difficult to find a job that will pay the bills
- The social stigma of having served prison time making the person feel embarrassed, ashamed or angry
- Feelings of isolation and abandonment if family members and friends have moved on
- Peer pressure from old friends in the drug or theft scene
- Having outdated job skills and few resources for education and employment training
- Suffering from physical problems or mental health issues
Two men face murder charges after bathroom shooting
Two men were taken into custody on suspicion of murder after they were accused of shooting a man in a South Carolina public bathroom. The alleged murder occurred in Myrtle Beach at approximately 11:29 p.m. on June 7.
Myrtle Beach officers reported hearing gunshots near the public restroom, which was located near the 12th Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard area. Officers were able to make it to the scene within seconds due to the fact that they were already in the area. At the scene, they found a man located in a bathroom that was located in the 1100 block of Withers Alley. The officers provided medical aid upon arrival.
South Carolina police seize 2.16 pounds of methamphetamine
Police in South Carolina have reported that a 33-year-old man and 32-year-old woman were taken into custody on drug trafficking charges following a traffic stop in Kershaw County. Deputies from the Kershaw County Sheriff's Office say that they discovered more than two pounds of methamphetamine, an ounce of marijuana and $7,159 in cash in the trunk of a Mercedes-Benz sedan being used by the pair.
According to a KCSO representative, narcotics investigators stopped the car after observing it leave a Lugoff residence on the evening of May 17. Reports indicate that the home had been placed under surveillance a year earlier after the KCSO received a tip about drug trafficking. Deputies say that they searched the vehicle after detecting the odor of marijuana.
Man facing drug trafficking charges following traffic stop
South Carolina authorities took a man into custody after conducting a routine traffic stop in Summerville on May 22. The man was reportedly driving a 2000 Dodge Neon when he was pulled over for what was called an "equipment violation."
When the sheriff's deputies went to talk to the man, they reported that the smell of marijuana was coming from the vehicle. As a result, the deputies conducted a search of the car. Although they did not find any marijuana, they did find 398 doses of of a drug on four colorful sheets. When a field test was conducted on the drugs, they were determined to be LSD. The amount of the drug found had a street value that ranged between $2,000 and $8,000.
Up to 6 percent of inmates may be wrongfully convicted
Some Pennsylvanians are wrongfully convicted of crimes that they did not commit. While cases in which people have been exonerated by DNA for murder convictions have been reported, little information about the percentage of people who have been wrongfully convicted of other crimes is available.
Capital crimes such as rape and murder have a wrongful conviction rate of 3 to 5 percent. A criminologist at the University of Pennsylvania was interested in learning about the wrongful conviction rates for other types of crimes. They designed a study to elicit information about wrongful convictions from the inmates themselves. The researcher surveyed almost 3,000 state prisoners in Pennsylvania during their intakes and asked questions about their conviction.
