An assault to the head with repeated blows from a hammer was alleged with an arrest this past Friday. Laurens City Police arrested 40-year-old Johnny Blackwell III of 21 Bub Avenue, Laurens and charged him with 1st Degree Domestic Assault. Officer Bryant Cheek states the defendant committed 1st Degree Domestic Violence Friday by striking the victim in the head with a hammer, multiple times, causing severe trauma. He also allegedly struck the victim about her face with his fist. The warrant states that Mr. Blackwell and the victim are married, have children in common and reside at the same address.

With a cash or surety bond set at $50,000 on the 1st Degree Domestic Assault charge, Johnny Blackwell III remained in the Laurens County Detention Center this morning.

A Burglary, Kidnapping and Domestic Assault last fall were alleged with an arrest

last Friday by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office. 33-year-old Jason Leon Herbert Sr. of 211 Green Acres Lane, Simpsonville was charged with 1st Degree Burglary, Kidnapping, Domestic Violence 2nd Degree and Malicious Damage.

Warrants state that on October 17th of 2016 Mr. Herbert entered a dwelling on Carver Street, Joanna without consent and with intent to commit a crime therein, entering at night and causing physical harm to the victim. A second warrant states he then unlawfully confined and kidnapped the victim from the Carver Street residence. A third warrant states that the defendant caused or threatened to cause physical harm under circumstances that would reasonably cause fear of imminent peril. A fourth warrant states that he willfully and maliciously did damage of $2,000 or less to personal property of the victim by breaking her cell phone, during the October 17th incident in Joanna.

No bond was set for either of the four charges. Jason Leon Herbert Sr. remained in the Laurens County Detention Center this morning.

Applause is not something generally associated with a financial report, but Retiring District 56 Finance Director Dr. Gerald Robinson was applauded last Thursday evening in his final report to the School Board. Dr. Robinson served the local school district for 15 years.

He expressed disappointment in the money received from local tax collections this year, saying the net revenue from local collections was the lowest received in three years. Robinson noted there had been no change in the millage rate during that time. Still, due to a conservative projection of revenue in the 2016/17 budget and some pleasant surprises in revenue from the state, he said the overall revenue should end the fiscal year at the end of June about 2% ahead of what was forecast.

Expenses, meanwhile, should end the year a bit lower than expected.  That combination of higher revenue and lower expenses should leave the district with a year-end surplus of $500,000 to $600,000.  Dr. Robinson said he’s happy with the financial condition of the district as he departs.

Gerald Robinson did have a word of warning for the District 56 School Board. He referred to the shortfalls in South Carolina’s state retirement system, noting it is now seriously underfunded.  As a result, the District 56 required contribution into that fund is increasing by 2% in the 2017/18 fiscal year and 1% each year for the next five years.  That may not sound like much but Dr. Robinson warned that if salaries remain completely static over that period, the resulting increase would be roughly $1,000,000 per year.  He said that’s scary, because the district just does not have the capability to generate that kind of money at the local level.  Robinson said District 56  would be entirely dependent on funding from the state.

To put that in perspective, in what Dr. Robinson called a “fortunate fiscal year” that is about to end, the district realized an estimated surplus of just over $500,000.  Subtract that additional contribution to the retirement system and this ‘fortunate year’ would have had a half million dollar deficit.

So, with his last financial report, Dr. Gerald Robinson leaves District 56 in good financial shape with a word of warning for the future.  Even with those ominous words about the future, people, including the board, stood and applauded his 15-years managing District 56 finances.

An attempt to murder another person was alleged following an arrest by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office this past Friday. Detention Center records noted that 22-year-old Phillip Brandon Barnes of 42 Hudson Street, Laurens was later served with warrants charging him with Attempted Murder and with 2nd Degree Burglary. The warrants were not available this morning.

No bond was set on either charge. Phillip Brandon Barnes remained in the Laurens County Detention Center this morning.

Two charges of Assault on a Police Officer were served Friday following the arrest of a woman last Thursday night. Laurens City Police arrested 47-year-old Kimberly Moss following an incident at 126 Park Street, Laurens. Officer Lindsey issued a ticket charging Ms. Moss with Public Disorderly Conduct and Resisting Arrest at 8:07 Thursday night. Ms. Moss reportedly gave an Irby Avenue address while being booked.

In the first warrant served charging her with Assault on a Police Officer, she is accused of grasping the wrist and fingers of one officer, resulting in the tearing of skin tissue between the thumb and index finger. Also during the incident at 126 Park Street, the defendant allegedly pulled the officer to her person with a tight grasp while attempting to kick and cause serious bodily injury.

The second Assault on a Police Officer warrant states that she grasped this officer’s left wrist and maliciously twisted and contorted the body limb in an unnatural manner, causing injury during the Park Street incident.

Kimberly Moss was released from detention this weekend on cash or surety bonds totaling $21,500.

Fountain Inn Police Friday charged 50-year-old Marvin Gerald Smith of 136 Joney Avenue, Wellford with Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent and Financial Transaction Card Theft. Officer Brian Dantzler states that on April 7th of 2017 the defendant received a 2007 Ford in trust and refused to return the vehicle after several days. He’s accused of appropriating the property to his own person use. A second warrant states he took a financial transaction card with intent to deprive the same victim, this also on April 7th.

Marvin Gerald Smith was released on cash or surety bonds totaling $15,000.

Fountain Inn Police arrested two men on drug charges following an early Sunday morning police chase.

Officer Kunz issued tickets charging 27-year-old Davon Tyrease Nance of 708 Chesley Drive, Simpsonville with Driving under Suspension 2nd offense, Open Container and Failure to Register a Vehicle. The tickets were issued on the I-385 off-ramp at Old Laurens Road, Fountain Inn at 1:29 Sunday morning.

Nance was served with warrants also charging him with 3rd Offense possession of Cocaine and with Failure to Stop for a Blue Light. They state that on June 25th Davon Tyrease Nance possessed multiple off-white rock-like objects weighting .4 gram that field tested positive as cocaine. He is also accused of knowingly and intentionally driving a motor vehicle and failed to stop when signaled by means of flashing light and sirens on a law enforcement vehicle.

Cash or surety bonds on the 3rd Offense Cocaine and the Failure to Stop warrants were set totaling $27,500. Davon Tyrerase Nance remained in the Laurens County Detention Center this morning.

Officer Kunz also charged 26-year-old Dominie Tobias Anderson of 2 East Cliff Way, Greenville with Possession of Cocaine. He’s also accused of being in possession of .4 gram of cocaine Saturday. Anderson was being held with a bond set at $7,500.

An Atlanta-area resident was booked in the Laurens County Detention Center Friday. 39-year-old William Torriunno Young Jr. of 1409 Rock Park Street, Forest Park, Georgia is charged with Violation of Probation.

He is accused of failing to report on August 31st, 2016 or afterward. He’s also accused of failing to refrain from the use of controlled substances, as evidenced by testing positive for cocaine July 12th, 2016. He’s further accused of failing to attend substance abuse counseling and failing to work diligently at a lawful occupation and failing to pay required fees.

With a cash or surety bond set at $75,000, William Torriunno Young Jr. remained in the Laurens County Detention Center.

At last night’s meeting of the Laurens County School District 56 Board of Trustees, second and final reading was held for a resolution to approve a bond issue totaling $1.4 Million. The money would be restricted to the purpose of improving Wilder Stadium and could be spent for no other purpose.

Mr. Theo Dubose of the Haynsworth, Sinkler and Boyd law firm presented the proposal to the board. He told them the terms of the bond require that the project be under contract within six months and all of the proceeds of the bond must be spent within three years.

On second and final reading, the vote to issue the bonds was unanimous.

National HIV Testing Day is Tuesday June 27, 2017, and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is encouraging South Carolinians to get tested for HIV and other STDs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in seven people living with HIV in the United States don’t know they have it. That means they are not receiving the care and treatment necessary to help improve their health and prevent transmission.

CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care. Knowing your HIV status allows you take steps to keep you and your partner healthy. National HIV Testing Day promotes HIV testing and early diagnosis. Through DHEC clinics and partnering community providers, testing services in 2016 helped diagnose and link more than 230 people to HIV medical care who otherwise might have not known their status until much later.

Participating local health departments will be offering free testing on June 27.  Please contact your local health department to schedule your free test.  For more information about HIV testing, as well as local HIV testing sites, call DHEC’s AIDS/STD Hotline at 1-800-322-AIDS (1-800-322-2437), or visit DHEC’s website at www.scdhec.gov/HIV . You can also visit DHEC’s health department finder web page at https://gis.dhec.sc.gov/healthdepartmentfinder/.

There have been reports that unknown caller(s) have been seeking donations on behalf of the South Carolina Sheriffs’ Association via the telephone.

Please be reminded that the South Carolina Sheriffs’ Association does NOT ask for donations via the telephone. The Honorary Membership program of the South Carolina Sheriff’s Association is conducted exclusively through a direct mail campaign, not through telephone conversations.

Any request for funds via telephone claiming to be from the South Carolina Sheriff’s Association is fraud.

More information available here: https://local.nixle.com/alert/6019077/?sub_id=52405