Teens Released to Custody of their Parents
BLYTHEWOOD – When fights broke out among a large group of teens at the Town’s Movies in the Park event last Saturday night, April 26, four juveniles – at least two of whom were females, according to town hall sources – were charged with Breach of Peace and Affray (fighting in a public place), but not arrested. According to the Sheriff’s Department, the teens were released to their parents.
“All of the subjects are juveniles and because of their ages they were not arrested,” Richland County PIO Jennifer Spurrier stated in an email to The Voice. “Instead, deputies filed Petitions to Family Court to charge them. Many laws have age limits to where law enforcement cannot arrest the juvenile but instead will file a petition with the Family Court effectively “charging” the juvenile with a crime,” Spurrier stated.
According to the Guide to Juvenile Court in South Carolina, published online by the University of South Carolina Children’s Law Center, juveniles are not arrested. Instead, petitions are filed with the family court where it is determined whether the allegations in the petition are true beyond a reasonable doubt. The case is either dismissed with a finding of not guilty or a predisposition evaluation is required (unless the juvenile receives probation) in which case a judge decides the outcome for the charges.
It is the fourth incident since last summer in the town that resulted in teen fighting, arrests, charges, shootings, or injuries.
Teen fights resulting in injuries and arrests erupted during the annual July 3rd fireworks celebration in Doko Park last summer. Teen fighting terrified moviegoers at the March 22 Movies in the Park event. And 60+ rounds of gunfire resulted in a person being shot and five arrests when, according to Sheriff Leon Lott, 200 teens swarmed downtown Blythewood on April 5.
While council members were divided on whether to cancel the April 26 Movies in the Park event, Blythewood Mayor Sloan Griffin posted the following statement on the Town’s Facebook page last week prior to Saturday’s event.
“As we prepare for the April 26 ‘Movies in the Park’ event at Doko Meadows Park, I want to take a moment to emphasize that your safety and peace of mind remain our top priorities,” Griffin posted on Facebook. “In partnership with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, we are implementing enhanced security protocols to ensure a family-friendly and secure environment for all who attend.”
With patrol cars on site and several deputies in the area where large groups of teens were congregating, the fights broke out within 15 minutes after the start of the movie. Terrified parents ran from the park with their tots in tow. Councilwoman Erica Page ordered the movie shut down.
Those charged “were detained and questioned on the incident that occurred.” the Sheriff’s report stated. “It is very unclear what caused the fight but [redaction] mentioned that [redaction] and her friends jumped her out of nowhere and she was not even there to fight but to watch the movie.”
Two other teens were also charged.
“Me and the other deputies that were there was (sic) able to detain two suspects that had a (sic) involvement in the incident [redaction] where both were detained and questioned [redaction] were not [there to] fight one another, they just happened to be the ones that got caught in the same area due to their friends knowing one another,” a second report stated. “No story was made clear on why the fight took place or any information on how the parties knew each other,” the report stated.
During a regularly scheduled town council meeting Monday night, the issue was not on the mayor’s agenda.
Near the end of the meeting Councilman Rich McKenrick asked that it be discussed and that council go ahead and vote to shut down the Movies in the Park, the Rocking Red, White, and Blue July 4 fireworks event, and the Juneteenth event for the safety of the community until the town events could be made safe. Griffin suggested moving such a discussion and vote to a later date. Council decided on May 19 at The Manor at 6 p.m.
The issue was on the agenda for the Wednesday, April 30 special called budget meeting that was held shortly after The Voice went to press. Read about that meeting here.
