Laurens Police were dispatched to the 100 block of Price Street at 6:52 yesterday morning on a report of things being placed in front of a woman’s door. An officer spoke with the resident who said that upon arriving home from work she noticed that someone had placed bricks from her walkway and a large stick in front of the door to her house. She said this has previously happened, a couple of weeks ago. She requested extra patrol.

   Wednesday we reported the arrest of 37-year-old Dena Marie Sneed of Cowpens, SC on multiple drug charges, after she had called the Sheriff’s Office the previous night to report that a man from Laurens had done malicious damage to her car at his residence.   

   Check jail records early this morning we see Ms. Sneed was booked with an address at 800 Hicks Grove Road, Mooresville, North Carolina. During arraignment yesterday, a $10,000 bond was set on each of five Drug Possession charges. Dena Marie Sneed remained in the Johnson Detention Center this morning with total bond at $50,000.

 Laurens City Police were dispatched to Laurens Terrace at 2 minutes after midnight this morning on a report that two males were behind a building and appeared to be attempting to break into a back door of an apartment. Officers arrived to observe two males behind building 100. Officer Charles Simmons approached the men from one direction while Lt. Dwight Craft came from the other direction to prevent ‘flight upon sight.’ Master Patrolman Simmons had the men sit on an air conditioning unit Lt. Craft arrived. One of the men reportedly had his back to the officers and placed his hand in his pocket. He allegedly refused several orders to remove his hand from the pocket. Officers attempted to detain him out of concern of a possible concealed weapon and he reportedly attempted to flee. As officers took him down using an arm bar he allegedly continued an attempt to resist arrest. 24-year-old Wilvunchie Pomyea Hill of 11-A Bub Avenue Laurens, also known as “P Rail,” was taken into custody and placed in the Johnson Detention center. He is being charged with Loitering, Simple Possession of Marijuana and Resisting Arrest.

  Police note locating a clear plastic baggie containing 8.1 grams of marijuana.

  The second man, identified as a 19-year-old from Clinton, fled the scene as officers subdued Mr. Hill. He is now wanted for charges in connection with this morning’s incident at Laurens Terrace.

 The Laurens County Chamber of Commerce presented their quarterly awards during their Chamber Board meeting this Monday. The Ambassador of the Quarter Award was presented to Janice Jarvis of Roper Staffing.  Chamber President and CEO Greg Alexander was joined by Board Chairman Harry Agnew in presenting the award to Janice for her support and hard work as a Laurens County Chamber of Commerce Ambassador. 

 The Laurens County Chamber of Commerce President and Board Chair presented the Small Business of the Quarter Award to Tony Dempsey of Dempsey’s Pizza in Clinton.

      Laurens County Council this week took action on a matter requiring financial consideration in order for the county to comply with orders from the FCC. Council unanimously approved a request by County Fire Service Director Greg Lindley Tuesday to allocate, designate and establish a reserve fund to enable compliance with a recent FCC mandate.

     The mandate requires all emergency agencies to operate their radios in narrowband, which means the replacement of mobile radios, portable radios, and pagers that are not capable of being reprogrammed to narrowband operations.

     Lindley told council that they are very close to this objective, but still are in need of twelve Motorola PM 1500 mobile radios, and fifty Motorola Monitor V Pagers, with a price tag of $41,500.

    Laurens County Council this week took action on an amendment for a fee-in-lieu agreement with an industry that is investing more in their local facility. During Tuesday night’s session, council voted to approve Resolution #20132 which authorizes the execution and delivery by the county of a second amendment to the fee agreement with International Paper. This is to accommodate additional investment by the company which has already has invested more than $6 million in their container-board facility on US 221 north of Laurens.

 Laurens County Council was advised this week of the winning bid to fund the purchase of 21 new vehicles for use by county employees. Council was advised Tuesday evening that BB&T Financial was chosen to provide funds for the purchases. BB&T reportedly offered the best deal with a three-year loan at 1.2% interest, a rate that was lower than had been expected. Council Chairman Jim Coleman said “We tried our best to purchase the vehicles from local dealers.” Of the 21 vehicles being purchased, 8 SUVs, 6 pick-up trucks and one sedan is being purchased from dealers in Laurens County.

Laurens County deputies who were busy arresting some folks on drug charges outside of Enoree early this morning, in the overnight hours around midnight, had a little extra excitement when a camper they were near suddenly burst into flames.

  Deputies at 99 Community Center Drive, Enoree reportedly found a woman outside a residence there whom they arrested on a drug possession charge. In the process of arresting her, they went to check out campers nearby for possibly suspicious activity. One of the campers was locked so they went to a second camper where they found two men inside. Officers were in the process of arresting those two men on drug charges when the first camper they had gone to suddenly burst into flames. It was an intense fire according to deputies who were on the scene. Initial reports indicate that camper was destroyed by the fire.

  Meanwhile the Sheriff’s Office had three people is custody who had been arrested nearby.

The Resident Dean of the University of South Carolina at Union addressed Laurens County Council this week about new developments for the Laurens County operations of USC-U. Dr. Alice Taylor Colbert updated County Council about new assistance available for students with full-day day jobs who want to continue their education. She talked about new on-line learning opportunities tied to the USC-U Laurens County Operations, in conjunction with USC’s Palmetto College.

   USC-U is in the process of moving its Laurens County operations from the Laurens County Higher Education Center to the Oaks Center on North Harper in Laurens.

    Laurens County Council Vice-Chair Ed McDaniel reflected on the 50^th Anniversary on the March on Washington during the council member comments period of this week’s meeting. On changes since Martin Luther King Jr’s  “I Have a Dream” speech, McDaniel said “I accept that certain things have changed, but we still have a long way to go.” Noting local race relations, he said “When I look at the court-house, I feel ashamed, twenty-five years after the march, the county had two minority employees, and today less than three pre-cent of county employees are minorities, and in today’s county council, the only minorities elected come from minority districts.”

   McDaniel also pointed out “Our County does not even have any type of diversity council,” and said “the gap between the haves and the have-nots has widened.”

   350 students at Presbyterian College will need to vacate their dorm rooms for a time, after mold has been found in three of the dormitories. WYFF News 4 reports that College Officials said they are not aware of the mold making anyone sick.  News 4 notes that Joy Smith, Vice President of Campus Life and Dean of Students, said “We’ve asked all of them if any of them have suppressed immune systems or a major lung problem, that they know they have to come to us immediately so that we can make some special changes for them.”

  Smith told News 4 that the air conditioning systems were unable to keep up with the record rainfall and record humidity this summer. The plan is to clean the affected forms from top to bottom.

  Starting Sunday, students on one floor in Georgia Hall, anywhere from 20 to 40 people, will move to another space on campus. On Monday, cleanup will begin on that floor and will last 3 to 5 days.  Then crews will move on to another building and floor.

  WYFF reports the Mold clean-up process at PC is expected to continue until Christmas break.

 Work is underway this week on the front portion of the Laurens County Museum’s new building on the Laurens Square. Museum Association President Phil Adair yesterday noted assistance from the Main Street Program in Laurens and South Carolina on a new sign for the new facility. Speaking to the Laurens Rotary Club, Adair said the total cost to rehabilitate the building is expected to run some three-quarters of a million dollars.

The building was donated by Johnny Weatherspoon, a Texan with roots in Laurens County. Weatherspooon also donated additional funds to pay for some immediate needs for stabilizing the building, including roof repairs to prevent further damage from rainfall.

  $150,000 of the $750,000 needed will be used in a “Phase I” of the conversion, further stabilizing the front of the structure, including repairs to some flooring, and to bring the building more in keeping with the architectural look of the Historic Square. He noted that because of the size of the structure, building codes are requiring enhancements that include more rest room facilities than initially considered. Codes also dictate the need for an elevator. A freight elevator already in the building may be used, but only as a museum exhibit. 

  Phil Adair said that the new museum provides five times the exhibit space of the current facility.

  As for the current fund-raising campaign, Adair noted that last week’s event at the Little River Park sponsored by the Laurens County Legislative Delegation raised $2,800 to kick-off the museum’s Capitol Campaign.

  The Museum Association President also invited people to join the association, noting that membership dues cover the daily ongoing costs of operation.

   Looking to the future operation on Main Street, Phil Adair said they hope to be able to operate with a full-time staff, and have a Museum Gift Shop operating daily in the facility.

The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office yesterday served three people with warrants for alleged drug possession after their arrest the previous overnight. 20-year-old Brandon Mark Good of 102 Jamies Creek Drive, Woodruff and 22-year-old James Rufus Whitehead of 169 Community Center Road, Enoree were accused of being in illegal possession of Alprazolam, a schedule IV controlled substance at 169 Community Center Road Wednesday night. 

33-year-old Shanna Mae Harlan of 272 Patterson Plant Road, Enoree is accused of being in possession of Crack Cocaine at 99 Community Center Road late Wednesday night.

Cash or Surety bonds were set at $5,000 on all three subjects. They remained in the Johnson Detention Center this morning.

 Some 50 people were on hand last evening in front of the Gray Court Town Hall for the dedication of Gray Court’s new Flag Pole. It was donated to Gray Court by the Woodmen of the World. Woodmen Lodge President Chester Martin told the group gathered last evening that the flag pole was given in Honor and Remembrance of the many heroes both living and those who gave their lives for this great country. Martin said since 2002 the Woodmen have given over 5,000 flag poles. After the dedication of the new Gray Court flag pole the American Flag was raised and then lowered to half-staff in remembrance of 9-11.

  South Carolina House Representative Mark Willis was on hand for the occasion and presented Mayor Carter and the Town of Gray Court with a South Carolina State Flag. The Byrnes High School Air Force ROTC presented the colors for last night’s event. Gray Court Mayor John Carter thanked everyone, noting the evening marked a historical occasion that he’s been wanting for Gray Court.

 The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched on report of an Armed Robbery on Jones Road near Fountain Inn at 9:22 yesterday morning. Deputy Edwards located the victim at a Sav-Way store in Fountain Inn. He said that he and his girlfriend had been in Greenville and starting walking to Fountain Inn yesterday morning. On the way, a man in a brown Volvo pulled up and offered them a ride. He said he offered to buy gasoline for the man in return for the ride. After dropping the girlfriend off at her house on Garth Road, the man said he wanted to get the man to take him back to Greenville. He said that about halfway between Garth Road and Durbin Road the driver pulled the car over, pulled out a pistol and pointed it at him. He said he could see the man meant business so he got his money and cell phone from his pocket and put it on the seat. The man then ordered him to start walking. After he exited the car, the man drove off. The victim said he walked up Jones Road until he reached Durbin Road, then went left walking toward Highway 418. He found his cell phone in the road all broken up, so he picked it up gently and placed it in his pocket in hopes it could provide fingerprints. Investigators of the Sheriff’s Office began follow-up work, including an interview of the girlfriend. A BOLO was issued for the brown Volvo.

    The South Carolina Highway Patrol Saturday arrested a Greenville County person for a violation on an interstate in Laurens County. In fact, the charge was having committed multiple violations. 22-year-old Italia Lia Griffin of 613 Westberry Way, Simpsonville was issued tickets charging 4^th Offense Driving under Suspension at the 53 mile marker. Another ticket charged Griffin with being an Habitual Offender. Italia Lia Griffin was released from the Johnson Detention Center later Saturday on personal recognizance bonds totaling $5,105

 Beginning in the Fall of 2014, Piedmont Technical College will become one of only two technical colleges in the state to offer an Honors Program for students seeking an Associate in Arts or an Associate in Science degree.

  “We are excited to provide a challenging new approach for some of our higher-achieving students,” said Kathryn Brackett, honors program director.

  The Honors Program is a rigorous academic program for high scholar students who are interested in having a challenge in the classroom and beyond. Students will be enrolled in special honors-level classes in philosophy, English, history, chemistry, psychology and math and will broaden their horizons with travel opportunities in the United States and abroad, and will participate in service-learning projects in their communities.

  “These students need to be dedicated and organized,” Brackett said. “They have taken ownership of their education and are determined to achieve their goals.”

  The idea for the Honors Program came from Evelyn Beck, dean of arts and sciences. She said her goal was to provide a motivation and enrichment opportunities to higher-achieving students.

  “We do a lot for those students who struggle in order to help them succeed,” Beck said. “Often, we forget about those students who are succeeding on their own. We needed to offer them a challenge, something that could push them to the next level.”

Brackett and Beck said they hope this program will draw in some of the region’s top students who are looking for an academic challenge close to home. By starting in Piedmont Technical College’s Honors Program, students can save a substantial amount on tuition and fees while getting a rigorous academic experience that will serve them well when they move on to their four-year destination schools.

“I’ve had students tell me they knew what they wanted to do with their life, but they weren’t ready to leave home yet or to embark on an adventure at a four-year institution,” said Brackett. “I feel this will be a great fit for them and it will provide the challenge they are looking for in college.”

To be eligible for the program, high school students must have a 3.5 GPA and score 1150 or higher on the SAT or 25 or higher on the ACT. Current Piedmont Tech students must have a 3.5 GPA and have completed at least 12 hours beyond developmental courses.

   A Joanna man was arrested by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office Friday on multiple drug charges for alleged offenses last Wednesday. 36-year-old Allen Eugene Rochester of 115 Hawkins Circle, Joanna was charged with three counts of Illegal Possession of a Controlled Substance. He was also charged with Simple Possession of Marijuana and with an Open Container violation. Warrants allege that on September 12^th Mr. Rochester was in possession of three controlled substances without authority to do so at 205 Pickens Street, Joanna. These allegedly included Carisophordol, a Schedule V controlled substance, Diazepam, a Schedule VI controlled substance and Oxocodone, a schedule II controlled substance. 

   Allen Eugene Rochester was also accused of having an open container of beer or wine in a vehicle while in a public park September 12^th. He’s also charged with being in possession of less than one ounce of marijuana September 12^th at 205 Pickens Street in Joanna. Rochester was released from the Johnson Detention Center later Friday on personal recognizance bonds totaling $15,882.

  The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man Friday for an alleged lewd act on a minor late last winter. 69-year-old David Micah Tollison 951 Franklin Road, Laurens was charged with Criminal Sexual Conduct. Investigator Bobby Galarza alleges in a warrant that on March 10^th the defendant did willfully commit a lewd or lascivious act with a person who was under age 16 years by grabbing the victim’s genital area causing pain to the child. Mr. Tollison was released from the Johnson Detention Center Saturday on posting a $50,000 Personal recognizance bond.

30 year old Brandon Bedenbaugh of Blalock Ave, Joanna was booked into the Johnson Detention Center Monday. Warrants state that on August 14th Bedenbaugh took and carried away a metal pipe valued at $1000  belonging to a victim on Curry rd. Blalock remains in the JDC charged with petit larceny and is awaiting bond.