Author: Dick Mangrum

For two crimes nearly one year apart, a Pickens County man faces 13 years in a state prison.  The 13th Solicitor for Greenville-Pickens announces a 13-year prison term for Billy Joe Bush Sr.  He pleaded guilty to domestic violence in 2018 and to entering a bank with the intent to steal in 2019.  The financial institution was the Palmetto Health […]

Tools and tactics can benefit law enforcement when it faces service calls with individuals suffering from mental illness.  And the right skills can lead to de-escalating potentially violent situations.  Oconee sheriff’s officers benefited recently from training conducted by Marty Wilkes, who worked 25 years for the Greenville police.  Wilkes’ training in crisis intervention led him to a new career in […]

In today’s South Carolina health agency report, there are 229 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 20 additional deaths.  There were two new Oconee County cases and no deaths.  The numbers bring to nearly 144 thousand the number of confirmed cases statewide and the death toll to 3,203.  Individual test results reported to DHEC yesterday statewide were 1,693 and the […]

Distracted driving is a leading cause in fatal car crashes.  Cell phone use is a major distraction that endangers lives every day, and the motor club AAA urges all drivers to put down their mobile devices.  October is National Distracted Driving Awareness month.  Other behaviors that can cause fatal injury and crashes are checking and posting to social media, browsing […]

A circuit judge has ordered civil judgments against a former Westminster police chief ordered by the court to make restitution to cover his criminal embezzlement crimes. A spokeswoman for the court says the order by Judge Maddox of Anderson consolidates previous criminal penalties into civil judgements.  Four judgments against Johnny Scott Bannister amount to nearly $114,500 dollars.  The order was […]

COVID-19 has caused cancellation of this year’s annual tree lighting in Fair Play.  Which begs the question of whether the need to avoid crowds will be sufficient reason to call off community and municipal Christmas parades.  Fair Play’s Hope Parker, in the Fair-Town Times, writes, “I hope the Fair Play Christmas Parade will take place on Saturday, December 12 at […]

Eighth graders at Seneca Middle School who were forced into 14 days of distancing learning returned yesterday for in-classroom instruction.  So far, in the one-month old school year, they represent the only cluster of classes directed to learn at home temporarily.  About three out of every four Oconee public school students have opted for in-class learning and, so far, according […]

In the thousands, South Carolinians are complaining that they’ve been the victims or attempted victims of crimes that are committed by typing out characters on keyboards.  According to the South Carolina Department of Revenue, there were 4,541 complaints from South Carolina filed with the FBI’s Internet Crime Report in 2019.  That number represents the highest number of cybercrime complaints to […]