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The Ninth Circuit News Archive
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Archived Press Releases | Archived News
ARCHIVED PRESS RELEASES:
Local man sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for Criminal Sexual Conduct case.
Date:
12/05/2008
Local taxi cab driver found guilty of murder, sentenced to 45 years.
Date:
12/05/2008
After a thorough investigation, Solicitor's Office dismisses Murder charges
against Stephanie Morosi.
Date:
6/24/2008
Armed Robber Sentenced to Life
Without Parole Under South Carolina's 2 Strikes Law
Date:
4/01/2008
Solicitor Scarlett
A. Wilson earns prestigious Criminal Justice Award
Date:
3/27/2008
Hernandez found guilty
of trafficking a quarter kilo of cocaine
Date:
3/21/2008
ARCHIVED NEWS:
Man on trial for his life in Berkeley
Saturday, September 22, 2009
MONCKS
CORNER -- As opening arguments began Monday in the death penalty trial of Colin
Broughton, defense attorney Bill McGuire said he agreed with much of what the
prosecution has asserted in court.
Man gets 25 years in drug conviction
Saturday, September 19, 2009
A judge
sentenced a 34-year-old man to 25 years in prison this week after a Charleston
County jury convicted him of trafficking cocaine, crack possession and
assaulting a police officer while resisting arrest, authorities said.
Woman
to serve 2 years in prison for lye attack
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Tijuana
Thompson-Gist left home and moved out of state to get away from the woman who
attacked her and her three youngest children with a bucket of lye three years
ago. The memories of that day have been harder to escape.
Man
gets 10 years in prison in DUI case
Saturday, September 19, 2009
A
40-year-old man received a 10-year prison sentence this week after pleading
guilty to drunken-driving charges stemming from an April 2007 wreck in Mount
Pleasant, authorities said.
Man accused in killing on trial
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The
murder trial in the shooting death of a 24-year-old Hispanic man who died at a
North Charleston cemetery began Tuesday with a prosecutor accusing the defendant
of bragging about the killing.
Check bouncers facing big fees
Wednesday, August
12, 2009
A warning
to bad check writers: The Ninth Circuit Solicitor's Office is coming after you
in Charleston County.
Officials praise 35-year sentence
Date:
7/30/2009
Prosecutors and police are hailing a 35-year prison sentence that a Lowcountry
man received for trying to carjack and shoot a man outside a North Charleston
restaurant in December 2007.
Preacher gets 30 years in prison
Date:
7/30/2009
A charismatic preacher who built a loyal following, despite his history as a child molester, has stepped from behind the pulpit and is staring down the long aisle of a 30-year prison sentence.
Tipsters earn area's thanks
Date:
7/26/2009
For years law enforcement has been
asking citizens for help putting away bad guys. Two incidents in recent weeks
offer case studies of what they have in mind.
Killer gets life sentence, no parole
Date:
7/21/2009
Kendrick Jerome Taylor, 19, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a Charleston County jury found him guilty of murder in the September killing of Thomas Yelton.
10 years for chef's death
Date:
7/17/2009
Amy McCormick pleaded guilty to four felony driving under the influence charges Thursday. She caused an accident that took the life of Brett Maynard and injured his wife.
Man convicted of robbery
Date:
7/16/2009
MONCKS CORNER — An armed robbery suspect was found guilty Wednesday and sentenced to 17 years in jail, Berkeley County Sheriff Wayne DeWitt said.
Mother sentenced to 5 years
Date:
7/14/2009
Shaveta McGill was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for her fateful September 2007 decision to leave her 7-year-old daughter alone for three hours inside her St. Stephen home.
Man gets 15 years on meth charges
Date:
7/12/2009
A Charleston County jury convicted Robert Santiago of two charges related to possessing and distributing methamphetamine, and Circuit Judge Kristi Harrington sentenced him to 15 years, Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said.
Man who raped store cashier given 30-year prison sentence
Date:
7/11/2009
Queen Street Grocery rapist Ronald Mark Simmons was sentenced to a total of 30 years in prison Friday for brutalizing a store clerk.
Mother pleads guilty
Date:
6/26/2009
MONCKS CORNER — A mother accused in a 2006 shaken baby case pleaded guilty Thursday to two charges related to her daughter's death.
City, solicitor's office make a $50,000 deal
Date:
6/21/2009
In an
unusual arrangement underscoring how state budget cuts have hit law enforcement,
the city of Charleston has agreed to help pay the salary of a 9th Circuit
assistant solicitor, and the solicitor's office has agreed the prosecutor will
focus on drug crimes in Charleston.
Community gathers as local leaders decry violence
Date:
6/20/2009
Marquita Smith thought
she’d found an easy way to make some money.
Crime-fighting bills stall during session
Date:
6/7/2009
Police chiefs, prosecutors and mayors warned the Legislature this year that
failure to fix the state's troubled criminal justice system placed the public at
grave risk from career criminals.
Repeat offender gets life sentence
Date:
5/21/2009
A repeat offender has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for drug charges.
Jury convicts man of selling cocaine
Date:
5/14/2009
A Charleston County jury found Keith Lamar Simmons, 22, guilty of trafficking cocaine Wednesday, and Circuit Judge Deadra Jefferson sentenced him to 25 years in prison.
Dickerson sentenced to death
Date:
5/8/2009
For the first time in 13 years, a Charleston County jury decided Thursday that a defendant's crime of murder was horrible enough to merit a sentence of death.
Dickerson guilty on all counts
Date:
5/1/2009
William O. Dickerson
told a Charleston County jury "I'm not a bad guy" Thursday. But after
deliberating for almost five hours, the jury agreed he did some very bad things.
Death penalty trial opens
Date:
4/24/2009
Prosecutors and defense attorneys in William O. Dickerson's murder trial agreed
that Gerard Roper died a horrific death on James Island three years ago.
Lots of room to grow
Date:
4/19/2009
The walls are up on the addition to the Charleston
County Detention Center and work is under way inside the building, which will be
attached to the older facility (left) on Leeds Avenue in North Charleston.
Teen convicted in stabbing death
Date:
4/7/2009
An 18-year-old man has been convicted in the Dec. 8, 2007 stabbing death of Kindu Molique Bost at the Best Western motel on Savannah Highway.
Man gets 40 years in North Charleston shooting death
Date:
3/18/2009
A
Charleston County jury found Kaseem "Nitty" Stephens guilty of murder Tuesday in
the shooting death of a man in a North Charleston mobile home park two years
ago.
Family finds justice after son's killing
Date:
3/15/2009
Solicitor Scarlett Wilson (right) listens to Maxine Hamilton, the mother of murder victim Jamie Reed, as she talks about what her family had to go through as the solicitor struggled to locate witnesses.
Cuts may take toll on legal process
Date:
3/5/2009
Longer
waits for trial. Less assistance to crime victims. And a growing population
inside county jails.
2 convicted in '07 armed robbery
Date:
2/28/2009
A
Charleston County jury on Thursday convicted two men for their role in a 2007
robbery at Urban Gear on Dorchester Road in North Charleston.
Unit to focus on bad checks
Date:
2/20/2009
The
Charleston County Sheriff's Office has more than 16,000 outstanding bench
warrants for bad-check writers, with 22 of them for just one person.
'Sleezie' gets 50 years
Date:
2/7/2009
Terrell McCoy holds up shoes that were evidence as he makes his closing argument
to the jury in his murder trial Friday. McCoy was sentenced to 50 years without
the possibility of parole.
19-year-old gets 40 years for killing
Date:
1/31/2009
A 19-year-old Charleston man was sentenced to 40 years in prison this week for murder.
Prison inmate gets life sentence for sex assault on female guard
Date:
1/31/2009
MONCKS CORNER — A state prison inmate will serve the rest of his life behind bars for sexually assaulting a female corrections officer last year.
Riley enlists crime-fighting posse
Date:
1/30/2009
COLUMBIA — Law enforcement officers and mayors tired of a deluge of criminals plaguing their communities came together here Thursday to work up a plan for persuading the Legislature to sign off on new laws.
Plaudits to Wilson in Frye case
Date:
1/30/2009
When police nabbed serial felon Jeffrey Frye at a North Charleston Econo Lodge on Monday — after he allegedly stuck up a first Citizens Bank in Summerville — it was just the latest chapter in the saga of a career criminal who has played the system like a fiddle.
Suspect avoids murder conviction, gets 35 years for armed robbery
Date:
12/12/2008
A man received a life sentence without the possibility of parole this week after a jury convicted him of raping a woman in downtown Charleston more than two years ago, the 9th Circuit Solicitor's Office said.
Man sentenced to prison 2nd time
Date:
12/06/2008
A man accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl shortly after he'd finished serving prison time for a similar offense was sentenced to another 10 years in prison this week, 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson reported.
Jury convicts man of 2007 murder
Date:
11/22/2008
A 24-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison Friday after a jury convicted him of shooting his former girlfriend to death at a Charleston public housing complex last year.
Suspect avoids murder conviction, gets 35 years for armed robbery
Date:
10/31/2008
A man accused of shooting a carnival worker to death during a $50 robbery was found not guilty of murder late Thursday after a retrial. He was found guilty of armed robbery.
Man gets life without parole
Date:
10/23/2008
A jury took 18 minutes Wednesday to convict a man who attacked a West Ashley church Sunday school director last year and threatened her with a screwdriver.
Joint initiative targeting gun possession gets results
Date:
10/21/2008
Prosecutors announced today that 40 federal cases have been indicted so far under "Operation Fed Up" since the program was launched in August.
Internet broker faces suit
Date:
10/21/2008
Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett A. Wilson is suing online loan broker LendingTree LLC, saying the company violated state law by not telling borrowers about the fees it receives from lenders.
Killer of cats gets 90 days
Date:
10/16/2008
Joel Campbell, 19, of Summerville, admitted to slitting the throats of six kittens and smashing in the heads of two adult cats.
Man gets 40 years in prison in North Charleston hotel killing
Date:
9/26/2008
One of four people accused in the murder of a 48-year-old carnival worker inside a North Charleston hotel room was sentenced to 40 years in prison this week.
Operation Fed Up.
Date:
8/14/2008
Prosecutors announced their first indictments Wednesday under a new initiative
to combat gun violence in Berkeley and Charleston counties dubbed "Operation Fed
Up."
Armed robber gets life sentence
Date:
4/4/2008
A previously convicted armed robber received a life sentence without parole Tuesday after a Charleston County jury found him guilty a second time, the 9th Circuit Solicitor's Office said.
Florist
shop kidnapper gets life without possibility of parole
Date:
3/21/2008
Mack
was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and assault and battery with intent
to kill. His violent criminal history of attacking, kidnapping and raping women
caused Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson to file a life without parole
notice before the trial this week, Wilson said. The notice made the sentence
mandatory.
Woman gives emotional testimony in kidnapping, battery case
Date: 3/19/2008
On Wednesday, Beth Ferguson had her moment in court and identified shop
worker Lemar "Tommy" Mack as the man who held a knife to her throat, choked her,
kicked her face repeatedly and left her bound and gagged in a locked closet.
Illegal
immigrant from Mexico get's 25-year sentence for selling cocaine
Date:
3/6/2008
Ninth
Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson called Hernandez’s bravado about his
drug-dealing past “sickening.”
Son's
death leads to charge of homicide by child abuse
Date:
3/6/2008
"We're going to open everything we know of back up and do more investigating,
more interviewing," 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said Wednesday during
a news conference with Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon. "We can't jump to
conclusions about the previous incidents because we don't know yet, but
certainly it raises more red flags."
Darkness
to Light partnership - brief
Date:
3/5/2008
The
Mount Pleasant Police Department, Anne Lee, President and CEO of Darkness to
Light, and Scarlett Wilson, Ninth Circuit solicitor, have teamed up with McGruff
the Crime Dog to keep Lowcountry children safe from sexual abuse.
Wilson:
Deputies acted 'reasonably'
Date:
2/26/2008
Ninth Circuit Solicitor
Scarlett Wilson said the two Charleston County deputies involved in the incident
had reason to believe their lives were in danger and acted "reasonably and
lawfully" in responding to the threat. Wilson announced her conclusion after
reviewing an investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division.
Goose
Creek officer cleared in shooting of robbery suspect
Date:
2/22/2008
Ninth
Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson spoke to a State Law Enforcement Division
agent about the shooting at length and reviewed the tape of the incident taken
from Battista's dashboard camera. The officer acted "reasonably and lawfully,"
Wilson wrote in a letter to SLED.
15-year
old charged with murder
Date:
1/29/2008
A 15-year-old boy has been charged with
murder in Monday night's shooting death of Adolphus Simmons at Bradford
Apartments in North Charleston.
Sanford pushes 3 key reforms at North Charleston business
Date:
1/29/2008
"The problem is the
laws are a maze," said 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson, who also joined
the governor. "They put the officer on trial more than the offender."
Shevlino
accepts plea deal
Date:
1/15/2008
Shevlino's sentence came as part of a negotiated plea with 9th Circuit Solicitor
Scarlett Wilson. It covers the armed holdups of a Food Lion supermarket and a
Subway sandwich shop at the start of the 2006 school year.
Man gets life for death of boss
Date:
1/11/2008
Solicitor Scarlett Wilson, who sought the maximum punishment for Derricotte,
said there is no good explanation for why Derricotte killed Skurow, a woman who
was kind to him and gave him rides home from work. But the evidence against him
was overwhelming, she said.
18-year-old Given up to 5
Years for Burning Dog
18-year-old Harold Goss pled
guilty to torturing an animal and will spend up to five years in prison. Goss
was sentenced to an indeterminate sentence under the Youthful Offender Act,
meaning Goss can be released before five years have elapsed if he demonstrates
sufficient mental and emotional stability to be set free.
Man who Robbed his
Mother Imprisoned for Life
Ferris G. Singley, who turned 39 on the day of his
sentencing, has been convicted of burglary, kidnapping, and robbing his mother
at knifepoint.
Man Sentenced to 22
Years for Sexual Abuse of Granddaughter
48-year-old Vernon Tumbleston was convicted on two
counts of criminal sexual conduct and was sentenced to 22 years in jail.
Additionally, he was sentenced to five years of probation for committing a lewd
act on a child, which was reduced from 15 years in prison.
Defendant
Given 25 Years in Child Sexual Abuse Case
David Frasier was
convicted Thursday of Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature (ABHAN),
Lewd Act on a Minor, and Dissemination of Harmful Materials to a Minor.
Charleston man gets 37 years in rape
The 71-year-old woman fought
off her attacker as best she could, tearing her fingernails into his face and
chest. Under her nails was just enough DNA to identify him and, ultimately, send
him to jail.
Wando teen Michael Anthony sentenced to 10 years for
Mount Pleasant robbery
Date:
1/11/2008
Michael Anthony pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery and was
immediately sentenced to 10 years in state prison as part of a negotiated deal
offered by Solicitor Scarlett Wilson.
Trial in killing, robbery begins
Date:
1/8/2008
"It was an execution by
this defendant," 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson told jurors in describing
the Oct. 7, 2006, killing of store manager Jennifer Skurow.
Wilson pleased with guilty verdict
Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said she is pleased
that a Charleston jury quickly returned a guilty verdict for the killer of a
Goose Creek High School honors student.
Twenty-three-year-old Dominic Derricotte was sentenced to life in prison for the
2006 murder of Jennifer Skurow, a 32-year-old restaurant manager and resident of
Hanahan.
Murder
trial backlog courts
Date:
1/7/2008
Charleston County's record-setting murder pace in 2006, when 52 people were
killed, most by gunfire, is straining the local court system.
Shooting fatality in home ruled self-defense
Date:
1/5/2008
No
charges will be filed against a man who shot and killed his roommate on New
Year's Eve, authorities said Friday, contending that the shooter acted in
self-defense against a violent and out-of-control figure who had forced his way
back into the house.
Suspect denies Mount Pleasant killing; police calm
residents
Date:
12/29/2007
More
than 50 Charleston National residents packed themselves into the community's
country club lounge Friday night for a meeting with police and 9th Circuit
Solicitor Scarlett Wilson.
Solicitor targets repeat offenders
Date:
12/13/2007
Scarlett Wilson,
Solicitor of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, speaks at a press conference Wednesday
about her plans to "stop the revolving door" of allowing re-offending criminals
to be released on bond over and over.
Man accused of sex crimes
Date:
12/8/2007
A 56-year-old man who
once led a youth singing group in the Goose Creek area appeared in bond court
Friday on charges that he molested a half-dozen boys decades earlier.
Mullen, Zumalt-hosted talks seek solution to crime
problem
Date:
12/3/2007
Ninth Circuit Solicitor
Scarlett Wilson said she would take the lead revoking bail for criminal suspects
who re-offend.
Chili cookers, tasters help to build new animal society
facility
Date:
12/2/2007
Animal lovers flocked to the back patio of the Charleston Maritime Center on
Saturday to have a taste of some of the area's finest chili and raise money for
animals. On each table was a "dog bank" that cook-off visitors filled with
money. Charleston County Solicitor Scarlett Wilson's table raised the most,
landing her the People's Choice Award.
Berkeley county GOP's missing funds could become criminal
case
Date:
12/1/2007
A prosecutor and state
investigator will decide next week whether to launch a criminal investigation
into what happened to money missing from the Berkeley County Republican Party.
Chili cooks to spice up fundraiser
Date:
11/28/2007
We're not in the heart
of chili country, but it sure feels like it for one special day each year
Deputy cites 'pure instinct' in confrontation with
killer
Date:
11/21/2007
Ninth Circuit Solicitor
Scarlett Wilson said she reviewed the State Law Enforcement Division's report
and found McElvogue acted lawfully and appropriately. "I am grateful he handled
the situation the way he did because, in the end, he probably ended up saving
more lives," Wilson said.
Murder suspect back in jail
Date:
11/8/2007
A
North Charleston man who skipped out on his trial for murder last month is back
behind bars after his arrest Wednesday on the grounds of a homeless shelter in
Berkeley County, authorities said. Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said
prosecutors had been prepared to bring Bradley to trial in absentia in December.
They are pleased that he will now be attending the proceedings, she said. "We
are very relieved that he is in custody, where we thought he should have been
all along," she said.
Loaded gun found at school
Date:
11/7/2007
Ninth Circuit Solicitor
Scarlett Wilson says parents should take responsibility, for their children's
sake. "It's a concern that we have so many people with guns who aren't trained
and educated on how to secure them and use them properly," she said. "Children
are going to find guns. They are going to think they are interesting, and if we
as adults don't take care to see that our firearms are secure, we are going to
continue to have problems."
Scarlett Wilson becomes first woman to serve as Ninth
Circuit Solicitor
Date:
7/6/2007
Veteran prosecutor Scarlett Wilson was picked to succeed Solicitor Ralph
Hoisington on Friday after Gov. Mark Sanford’s first choice for the job had an
abrupt change of heart. Wilson, who was Hoisington’s second-in-command, becomes
the first woman to serve as the top prosecutor for the Ninth Circuit, which
includes Charleston and Berkeley Counties.
Hoisington remembered for humanity, love
Date:
6/14/2007
Solicitor Ralph
Hoisington was remembered for his humanity, humor and adventurous nature during
a funeral service Wednesday that drew hundreds of friends and family to a chapel
on the campus of The Citadel. "He got life, he took note," said Scarlett Wilson,
chief deputy solicitor, who worked alongside Hoisington for more than six years.
Agee gets 35 years for beating mother to death
Date:
6/6/2007
The James Island man
will spend the next 35 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to
voluntary manslaughter for beating his mother to death with a cast-iron frying
pan.
Bessinger kidnapper sentenced to 38 years
Date:
5/9/2007
A cool-headed Tommy
Bessinger Jr. tricked his kidnapper into leaving him alone long enough to get
free and call the police.
Gun sale loopholes stir fears
Date:
4/29/2007
Michael Bailey was
shot, arrested and deemed psychotic after threatening to kill two Charleston
police officers with a knife. Too mentally ill to stand trial, he was committed
to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.
Solicitor clears 3 officers in deaths of suspects
Date:
12/6/2006
A
Charleston policeman who fatally shot a fleeing drug suspect in September and
two North Charleston officers involved in a deadly Taser incident last year all
acted appropriately, 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson has ruled.
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