Documents detail complaints vs RW chief

RIDGEWAY—Police Chief Christopher Culp has been the subject of at least 15 formal complaints from Ridgeway residents and businesses in the past 12 months, according to documents obtained by The Voice. Dating back to July 2017, the complaints that nearly cost Culp his job provide a more detailed look into what drove Ridgeway Town Council […]

County inches closer to hospital property purchase

WINNSBORO—As Fairfield Memorial Hospital prepares to close its doors, Fairfield County is moving forward with plans to acquire some of the hospital property. On Monday night, council members voted unanimously to present a memorandum of understanding to Fairfield Memorial to purchase “some or all” of the property. No dollar amounts were mentioned, though the motion […]

Fairfield settling Pauley lawsuit

WINNSBORO—Fairfield County plans to settle a lawsuit its former recreation director filed earlier this year. Lori Schaeffer, the county’s former recreation director, filed suit against the county and Councilman Douglas Pauley in February 2018, saying in court documents that Pauley improperly inserted himself into recreation operations. Schaeffer was later terminated. Fairfield County initially sought to […]

Jenkinsville will not appeal annexation vote

JENKINSVILLE – Jenkinsville will remain the same size for now. The Fairfield County town had until noon Monday to appeal results from the June 5 referendum to the state, but an appeal was never filed, said Chris Whitmire, spokesman for the S.C. Election Commission. “The SEC has not received any appeals related to Fairfield/Jenkinsville annexation […]

Judge, others issue complaints against chief

RIDGEWAY – Ridgeway Police Chief Christopher Culp has repeatedly shown “a lack of manners, professionalism, and respect” for the town’s traffic court and Municipal Judge Adrian Wilkes, according to public records obtained by The Voice through a Freedom of Information request. Wilkes recently penned a scathing letter directed at the chief, who according to Wilkes, […]

Chief survives move to fire him

NAACP, School officials called to defend Culp RIDGEWAY – Christopher Culp still has his job. Ridgeway’s police chief was not present when town council members killed an effort to fire him immediately. Councilman Rufus Jones made a motion to immediately fire Culp, but the motion died when nobody seconded it. Culp’s brush with potential termination […]

Former board member blasts JWC

JENKINSVILLE – Jenkinsville Water Company leaders “willfully” provided false and misleading information about the water company’s ability to provide water service to its customers, according to documents filed in Broad River Campground’s ongoing lawsuit against the JWC. Also filed recently is a sworn affidavit from former JWC board member Lori Smith, who issued a blistering […]

Councilwoman storms out of executive session…again

RIDGEWAY – About 20 minutes into the executive session, of the Thursday night Ridgeway Town Council meeting called to discuss the police department, Councilwoman Angela Harrison emerged alone, visibly distraught. Harrison said she left executive session because she was bothered by what council members were saying about the chief. It was the second time she […]

BW man indicted in interstate drug ring

BLYTHEWOOD – A Blythewood man has pleaded not guilty to federal drug charges following a roundup of 14 suspects from South Carolina to California. Cravelyn Squilla Davis, 25, of Blythewood, entered the plea Thursday in U.S. District Court in Rock Hill. U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon of the Columbia office is prosecuting the case. Davis […]

Election commission blocks JV annexation protest

JENKINSVILLE – Fairfield County election officials upheld the result of the Jenkinsville annexation vote by a more decisive margin than the original referendum itself. In a unanimous vote Monday, the Fairfield County Election Commission voted to uphold the results of the June 5 special election that saw the annexation measure fail 19-15. Commissioners agreed one […]

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