Clinton Public Safety was called to the Quality Inn on Trade Street at 1:08 yesterday morning. A receptionist said some guests had to be switched to another room, and when she went to turn lights off in the room she found what looked like a marijuana leaf. She wanted officers to speak with the guests. Officers went to speak with the guests, who allowed then to search their room. Nothing was found and the location was declared clear.

The “Too Much Ephedrine” charge was served on a Clinton man yesterday. The Sheriff’s Office charged 55-year-old Marcus Lee Wilson of room 2 of the Travelers Inn with Purchase of Excessive Ephedrine. Wilson is accused of attempting or conspiring to obtain a quantity of non-prescription ephedrine products totaling more than 9 grams in a 30-day period. This allegedly occurred at Wal-Mart of Laurens on February 20th, 2015.

Marcus Wilson was being held overnight in the Johnson Detention Center, pending a bond hearing today.

The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office yesterday charged a local man on a drug charge from an incident Monday. 22-year-old Stephen Scott Clack of 283 Highland Court, Gray Court was served with a warrant alleging Possession with Intent to Distribute. The warrant states that the investigation of Deputy Edwards indicates that on August 3rd one Stephen Scott Clack possessed marijuana with intent to distribute a controlled substance in Schedule II, which is a narcotic drug. Stephen Clack was released at 5:30 yesterday afternoon on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.

A Cross Hill man was transported to Greenwood this morning for treatment of injuries from a dog bite. Deputy Steven Noble was dispatched to Molly Court at 14 minutes after midnight this morning and met with a woman who had called 911 for a man who indicated he had been bitten by a black Pitt Bull off Harris Springs Road. The man indicated he was bitten on his lower right leg by a dog he believes belongs to someone in the area. An initial search of the area did not locate the dog. The man was being treated at Self Regional for the injuries to his leg.

Another case involving rebel flags was reported to Clinton Public Safety yesterday. A Sloan Street resident came to the Public Safety office in the noon hour and said that two weeks ago someone stole a “rebel without a cause” flag from his house. Then the previous night another rebel flag of his was burned in his yard. An extra patrol of the area would be added.

Clinton City Council this week voted to give other people a chance to rent the old National Guard Armory building on Pine Street. The City Manager informed council that a company had a three-year lease on the building which expired in 2009, but rental continues without a contract. There was indication that others may have an interest in use of the facility. Mayor Bob McLean motioned that the city receive bids from others who also may be interested in renting the facility for a two to three-year term. Before the vote, council had City Attorney Allen Wham review the contract for the now-expired lease to ensure there were no remaining responsibilities for the city. Later in the meeting, Wham noted there were no concerns there, so Council voted to open the lease of the building beside Pine Street Park for others. The discussion included the current occupant being able to bid, and being given a 90-day notice to vacate should that entity not have the winning bid. A 30-day period for accepting bids was approved. The City Manager was to proceed with the bid procedure.

2nd Degree Burglary charges were served yesterday on three young Clinton men who Laurens City Police arrested after subjects fled through woods following an alleged Tuesday afternoon attempted home invasion. Warrants served yesterday state that each of the three attempted to enter an occupied dwelling on Southdale Drive in Laurens during the daylight hours August 4th, without consent of the owner of the residence.

Laurens Police were dispatched after a 911 call from a woman saying three men were attempting to get into her house. Officers arrived and reported hearing the sound of subjects in the woods behind the house. Some officers followed their path through the woods while others surrounded the area. Items recovered from the path taken by the suspects included a clothing item found stuck to briars and money found in a creek.

26-year-old Tavazia Quantez Valentine of 812 East Florida Street, Clinton was released from the Johnson Detention Center at 5:00 yesterday afternoon after posting an $80,000 surety bond through a bail bondsman. 21-year-old Keenan Montez Caldwell of 1711 Apple Orchard Road, Clinton and 28-year-old Direon Aikem Conner of 28941 Highway 76 East, Clinton both remained in the county lockup this morning with $80,000 cash or surety bonds.

Laurens County ranks high in a national report on job creation! An analysis shows job creation from 2013 to 2014 based on reports from 2,746 counties across the United States. Wayne County Michigan (Detroit) ranked 1^st in the US, with 4,225 new jobs created in 2014. Laurens County was 17^th in the nation, with 1,257 new jobs last year. One other South Carolina County came in higher than us. Nearby Fairfield County had the 14^th largest number of new jobs reported for 2014, with 1,389. North Carolina’s Nash County, which includes the western half of Rocky Mount, made 5^th place in job creation for 2014 with 3,194.

Comparing the best performing South Carolina counties, after Fairfield and Laurens at 1^st and 2^nd highest in the state, Charleston County is 3^rd the state, and in 37^th place in the national listing. Anderson County was 4^th in the state and 71^st in the nation with 649 new jobs. Spartanburg County was 5^th in South Carolina and 97^th in the nation with 553 new jobs created in 2014.

Thursday at 10:30 Deputy Sibley of the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Sid Lee Rd in Cross Hill concerning a Larceny that had occurred on July 23^rd. The victim said he had left a residence on July 23^rd to give someone a ride and when he returned his cell phone was gone. He said he had made several attempts to call and locate the phone but it was out of minutes. According to the victim, he had been told by a resident of the home the phone was left at that a subject had taken his phone. He stated the phone was a black LG Smartphone and he just wanted the phone back. He gave the deputy the name of the alleged subject. Deputy Sibley will continue to investigate this case

Deputy Staton was dispatched to Vern Cora Rd. Laurens on Wednesday at 6:34pm concerning a burglary. The victim stated that sometime between midnight on August 3^rd and 6pm on August 5^th someone broke into a storage shed and a camper that was on the property and took a yellow champion generator, red troybilt weed eater and a game trail camera from the shed and did damage to both camper doors and broke out a small window on the back side of the camper. A trail where the generator was pushed could be followed in the dirt but led down a back driveway to nowhere. No other tracks could be found. The case will be followed up by investigations.

Thurday at 8:28 am, Officer Polson of the Laurens Police Department responded to a 911 call in reference to a female subject destroying items inside a residence on Wilson Street. Officers are familiar with this residence due to several prior calls. Upon arrival the officer saw a female throwing several cords into her back seat of a car then take the cords from her back seat and place them in the trunk. A male was observed standing in the driveway several yards from the residence. The officer spoke with the complainant who stated that he and his girlfriend live at the residence with her kids. He said there was an incident the previous night and she agreed to leave the residence so there would be no further altercation. The complainant said when the subject returned she came into the house and begsan cursing him and degrading him. She said she was getting her computer and leaving for good. He said he told her to leave and he was through with her. Ahe said when he told her those words she began to throw his flatsceen tv in the floor and take cords from the back of the direct tv box. He said when he saw her attemting to break the tv he called 911. He said when she saw him calling 911 she grabbed him by the neck and clawed him. He said he pulled away andf went outside to call 911. The victim stated that when the subject took his tv cords he took her desktop computer monitor and keyboard and placed them in his truck in the back yard until she gave him back his tv cords. The officer saw two small red scratch marks on the left side of the victim’s neck. After some conversation the subject returned the tv cords and was advised that she could only take personal items such as clothes, toothbrush, birth records and personal records but nothing else. The officer advised that only a judge could decide who owned what property inside the home unless both parties agrred that an item was one or the others. The victim stated the subject could get her computer and leave. The subject then said she wasn’t going anywhere. The subject then stated to the officer that she didn’t care and law enforcement is worthless. She then stated that the subject’s military service didn’t mean sh** and was a bunch of junk and she wasn’t going to listen to the officer anymore. The victim stated he would leave and walk to the magistrates office to seek an eviction. The victim said he did not wish to prosecute the subject for domestic violence. The victim said he just wanted her to leave because she would destroy all of his items. He was advised to document everything that has been destroyed for his eviction hearing for the judge to consider for restitution. The case was closed.

Deputy Allen of the Sheriff’s Office was informed by the Mayor’s Office in Gray Court Thursday at 3:00pm that a resident of the area had been attacked by a dog on Jerry Hughes Drive in Gray Court. The deputy went to the victim’s residence where Laurens County Animal Control officer Henderson was present and informed the deputy that he had been made aware of the incident as well. The victim stated that on August 4^th he was walking on on the roadway on Jerry Hughes Drive and an unknown male was in a yard with a dark in color pit bull and the dog broke loose from the leash and chased after the victim. He said the subject called for the dog but it continued to chase the victim. The victim said he bent down and attempted to fight the dog off but the dog bit him on his face and lips. He said once the dog bit him it returned to the yard. The victim stated that neither the unknown male or a female sitting on the porch came to his aid. He said due to the injuries he almost passed out then started walking toward the town of Gray Court for help. He said an unknown female stopped to help him and called 911 for medical assistance. And the ambulance transported him to Greenville Memorial Hospital. The deputy went to the residence where the event occurred to locate the property owner. The property owner was identified and the case will be forwarded to animal control.

Thursday at 6:17pm, Officer Jones and Scoggins of the Laurens Police Department were dispatched to Zaxby’s in reference to some men in a black dodge charger using drugs as they came through zaxby’s. The complainant believed there was a child in the car and was concerned for the child’s welfare. The officers made contact with the subjects and smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the inside of the car. When searching one of the subjects, a large stash of US Currency was found in a jacket one of the subjects was wearing. A bag of green plant like material was found in the car with several more buds of green plant material inside the passenger door. Both subjects were transported to the Laurens PD for questioning and a serch warrant was obtained to further search the car. One subject claimed he came to Laurens to pick up some money owed to him. He wouldn’t state why he was owed the money but said if marijuana became legal he would lose a lot. When the subject was told that the $3,021 was suspected to be drug money he just laughed. The subject wqas offered the opportunity to sign the money over to the Laurens PD and he accepted. He gave a voluntary statement where he waived ownership of the money. The 33 grams of drugs were weighed and placed into evidence. Both subjects were issued courtesy summons for possession of marijuana and released.

Clinton Department of Public Safety responded to a Clinton Manor Apartment Thursday at 2:36pm in reference to an adult striking a child with a belt. On arrival the officer spoke with the complainant who stated that her child had been playing in the subjects apartment when she heard the child scream and come running outside. She stated the child claimed that the subject had struck the child. The officer than spoke with the subject who stated the victim had been in ther apartment playing when she started acting out and knocking over lamps and other items. The subject said he had grabbed the child and struck her with a belt. The officer advised the subject he could not use a belt on someone elses child . The complainant stated she did not wish to press charges. A victims form was completed. The officer was invited inside and did see a lamp that had been knocked over and a decorative angel that had been broken. The officer saw a belt lying on the couch and asked if that was the belt that was used. The subject responded yes. The officer asked if the subject minded officers taking the belt and subject said that was fine. The subject was placed under arrest for simple assault and transported to the cdps for booking. Once at the department officers discovered an active trespass notice for the subject at Clinton manor so he was also charged with trespassing. 37 year old James Oneil Wright of 135 Dragon Trail Laurens was booked into cdps charged with Simple assault and battery and trespassing. He was released on $500 pr bond.

Thursday at 8:39am, Sgt. Gainey of the Laurens Police Department responded to Walmart in reference to a suspicious female in the store. A loss prevention employee had called 911 and stated that a suspicious female was in the store and now sitting in mcdonalds inside Walmart. The complainat stated that the female removed a plastic baggie and consumed what appeared to be some type of narcotics while sitting at a table and was acting very strange. Upon arrival the officer made contact with the complainat and the subject. The officer recognized the subject from previous professional experiences. The officer advised the subject that he was contacted by Walmart in reference to her suspicious behavior and requested she proceed to the loss prevention office with him to further investigate the matter. Once in the office the subject was asked what her business in Walmart was. The subject stated she was there for a job interview for El Cheapo. The officer explained that it made more sense to interview at El Cheapo. The subject then began to exhibit signes of being under the influence of some type of narcotic. She was questioned about her behavior and what narcotics she was seen consuming in mcdonalds. She stated they were colonopins. The officer requested to see the colonopins and the subject removed a plastic bag containing 11 round blue whole pills and 2 pills that were broken. The subject was advised she was under arrest for possession of a schedule 4 narcotic. The Walmart loss prevention officer requested the subject be placed on trespass notice from Walmart. The subject was served a trespass form. 29 yeart old Brandi Nicole Barnes of 197 Fairgrounds Rd Laurens was booked into the Johnson Detention Center Thursday charged with possession of schedule 4 narcotics. She remains awaiting warrants to be issued by the Laurens Police Department.

36-year-old Peacheana “Peaches” Cunningham of 384 Watson Street, Laurens was booked into the Johnson Detention Center early Thursday morning, charged with Petit Larceny, 3 counts of Forgery and 1 count Fraudulent Check. Warrants state on May 17^th in the county of Newberry, Cunningham did, with intent to defraud draw and utter a check payable to Orielly auto parts in the amount of $287.63 and from such check did receive cash, merchandise or other consideration. The check was deposited within 10 days and and returned to the bank marked insufficient funds. A certified letter was mailed to the defendant but there was no response and restitution has not been made. A further warrant states that on June 4^th in the county of Laurens, Cunningham did falsely make, forge, or counterfeit cause or procure to be falsely made forged or or counterfeited or willfully acted or assisted in the false making, forging or counterfeiting of a check in the amount of $3445.00, another warrant stating the same for another check in the same amount, and a third warrant stating the same for a check in the amount of $2750.00. A further warrant states on June 4^th Cunningham did take and carry away checks with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of the property which was valued less than $2000 and is the property of the victim.

She remains in the jdc awaiting bond hearing.

Clinton City Council this week authorized the City Manager to proceed with negotiations for renewing a contract for the Clinton Public Library. Since vacating the library on North Broad several years ago due to concerns about that building’s structural integrity, the library has been located on Jacobs Highway. The lease for the building is renewed on an annual basis. Following a council member’s question, City Manager Stovall said the rate for the lease this next year is to remain the same. All voted in favor of the renewal except for Mayor McLean, who rescued himself, noting his wife’s involvement in GYG, LLC, which owns the property.

Grand breaking ceremonies are set for Monday morning for the newest plant in Laurens County’s Owings Industrial Park. Reinicke Athens, Inc. (RAI), a Georgia-based leading industrial contractor, is investing $4.5 million to establish manufacturing operations that is expected to create 30 new jobs over the next three to five years.

With the announcement last December, Reinicke President Mark Christopherson said “We are looking forward to expanding in South Carolina to better serve our clients in the region.”

Founded in 1996 in Athens, Ga., RAI specializes in fast-track installations, relocation of industrial manufacturing equipment and full-service, turnkey construction. With a client list that includes many Fortune 500 companies, Reinicke thrives on competitive bidding as well as negotiations with both small and large projects alike.

Construction is starting here in the 3^rd quarter of the year while hiring for most of the new positions is expected to take place in the 4^th quarter this year. Anyone interested in applying for one of the new jobs can contact RAI’s career page online. The company’s web site is www.rai-usa.com .

25 year old Kenneth Alexander Reeder of 119 Woodrow St Laurens booked Sunday morning into the Johnson Detention Center charged with no drivers license, failure to posses registration, operating uninsured, providing false information, hit and run, resisting arrest, failure to yield right of way and driving under suspension 1^st. Warrants state that on July 21^st, Reeder operated without a license, without registration, no valid insurance, gave a false name and date of birth to conceal his identity during a collision investigation, did leave the scene of an at fault collision by fleeing on foot, did resist arrest by pulling away from officer and fleeing on foot after being advised he was under arrest, did fail to yield right of way resulting in a collision, and did operate a motor vehicle while license was under suspension. He remains in the Johnson Detention Center on $22,253.00 bond

Willie Shawn Bookman, age 24 of 414 North Marion Street Joanna was booked into the Johnson Detention Center Sunday, charged with Pettit Larceny, Manufacture or possession of drugs and Distribution of drugs.

Warrants state that on March 11^th 2014, Bookman did sale a quantity of marijuana to a confidential informant working in an undercover capacity in the city of Clinton, another warrant states this was within one half mile of MS Bailey School, and a third warrant stating on April 30^th, 2014 Bookman did take and carry away with intent to deprive the victim of $20. Clinton Department of Public Safety was using a confidential informant to purchase narcotics and Bookman took the money and left without returning any narcotics or money. Bookman remains in the Johnson Detention Center on $6,470 bond.