Durham gained release thru a personal recognizance bond

A session of Oconee Grand Jury convenes today.  At news time, it’s uncertain whether the charges placed Friday against Matthew Durham will be ready for a grand jury true bill or no bill of the two allegations against the county councilman.  Citing that Durham has no previous record, a magistrate granted the defendant a personal recognizance bond, meaning he’s free from jail, pending resolution of the case.  Durham and his council colleagues are scheduled for their regular third Tuesday meeting tomorrow in Walhalla.  Questions have arisen as to whether Durham might be suspended from office pending the outcome.  A 101.7/WGOG NEWS legal source has called attention to Article 6 Section 8 of the South Carolina Constitution:  “Any officer of the State or its political subdivisions, except members and officers of the Legislative and Judicial Branches, who has been indicted by a grand jury for a crime involving moral turpitude or who has waived such indictment if permitted by law may be suspended by the Governor until he shall have been acquitted. In case of conviction the office shall be declared vacant and the vacancy filled as may be provided by law.”  The charges pressed Friday by the state police accuse Durham of unlawful neglect of a child and domestic violence second degree.  He is in the second year of a four-year term which runs through December 31, 2024