Sheriff tightens security at Greenwood courthouse

August 9, 2005

By VIC MacDONALD
Index-Journal regional editor

Since March, courthouse security has been a front-burner issue for law enforcement agencies nationwide. In Greenwood County a review of ways to keep the courthouse, and the people in it, safer began two months earlier.
The Atlanta-Fulton County courthouse’s scene of death, when an inmate being held for trial killed law enforcement and court personnel in an escape attempt, stunned state and local government into the realization that courthouses were not secure.
“In a perfect world, securing our courthouse from physical threats would not be necessary. Of course, the Sheriff’s Office and the courts will never operate in a perfect world, and as such it is my responsibility to take every practical measure to ensure the safety of each citizen who enters our facility,” Greenwood County Sheriff Dan Wideman wrote in the introduction to a courthouse safety report.
“Shortly after taking office, I directed Chief Deputy Mike Frederick to review each of the major operational sub-systems (including the courthouse) within the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office. That review expanded in scope after the tragic events of 11 March in Atlanta’s Fulton County Courthouse, and this report is the final product of our review.”
The courthouse safety report now is in the hands of the Greenwood County Council and administration. Action could be forthcoming on its recommendations as early as the Aug. 16 council meeting.
County Manager Jim Kier acknowledged that the Atlanta incident sped up discussions of how to make the Uptown Greenwood, 40-year-old courthouse more secure.
“We kicked it off after those shootings,” Kier said.
Now the county is examining the $37,500 estimated start-up cost, which Kier called “very reasonable,” and is looking to review the recommended security measures and staffing requirements with courthouse employees.
Frederick said the security recommendations are not designed to turn the courthouse into “an armed camp.” Much of the security will be enhanced through cameras and procedures, not “pat downs” and searches that enraged so many travelers on airplanes these days.
“We will not have citizens waiting in line 20 minutes for searches,” he said.
Courthouse security has been under review since January, Frederick said. In addition to an internal review by Frederick and Sheriff’s Office Maj. Jeff Miller, inspectors from the State Law Enforcement Division and the United States Marshals Office visited the Greenwood County Courthouse.
Frederick said recommendations from all three groups dovetailed into a general consensus of what should the done. Not all recommendations can be made public. Frederick said to do so would be to invite someone to breach the security.
However, county council and Kier have access to the full security report. The report was presented officially to the county council Aug. 2, although it was not a discussion item for the council at that time.
The security reports recommendations include:
n Eliminate current key system and unsecured doors. Replace with programmable access control system, such as proximity card readers or swipe cards. Require visible ID on employees. Assign one person to access control administrative duties.
n Remove prison access to judicial officers by building two barriers in rear hallway on second floor behind main courtroom.
n Add warning signs and repaint parking to facilitate prisoner handling, loading and unloading.
n Deliver and pick up prisoners at designated, secure spots only. Increase restraint level and use armed deputies as cover only – transport personnel to be unarmed.
n Upgrade rooms used as holding cells to include remote monitoring via closed circuit television and peepholes in doors for officers’ safety.
n Increase full-time security staffing by at least one deputy to provide for addition of roving patrol to make possible officers’ breaks and two-officer minimum staffing at front screening post.
The recommendations should be in effect within 120 days.
Frederick said the security measures are designed to address the threats posed to county courthouses. These are different from federal courthouses, which could be the targets of domestic and foreign terrorists.
“They’re magnets for the people who go through them at emotional times,” Frederick said of local courthouses. “Of course, there is criminal court, where people lose their freedom, and also family court and tax offices.”
He said there also is a concern that in this part of South Carolina, with several active militia groups within a 100-mile radius of Greenwood, courthouses could be the target of home-grown, pipe bomb-wielding activists.
“Package all that into one building,” Frederick said, “and you’re talking about high-risk potential.”

Barbara Chadwick

DONALDS — Barbara Ann Gambrell Chadwick, 70, of 30 L.B. Chadwick Road, widow of L.B. Chadwick Jr., died Sunday, Aug. 7, 2005 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Anderson County, she was a daughter of the late Norman and Eula Lee Crawford Gambrell. She was a homemaker and a member of Donalds Baptist Church.
Survivors include two sons, Gerald Chadwick, of Belton, and Donnie Chadwick, of Hartsville; two daughters, Debbie Bell and Lynn McCall, both of Honea Path; six grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Services are at 2 Wednesday at Donalds Baptist Church, conducted by the Revs. Jerry Hill and Harold Miller. Burial is in Greenwood Memorial Gardens. The body will be placed in the church at 1.
Visitation is from 6-8 tonight at Pruitt Funeral Home in Honea Path.
The family is at the home.
Pruitt Funeral Home, Honea Path, is in charge.

Billy Gambrell

ABBEVILLE — William Edward “Billy” Gambrell, Jr., 59, resident of Abbeville Nursing Home formerly of 109 Walnut St. died Monday, Aug. 8, 2005 at the nursing home.
Born in Abbeville Co. SC he was a son of his late parents William Edward Gambrell, Sr. and Rebecca Anderson Gambrell.
He was a faithful member of Southside Baptist Church.
Survivors are: His aunt and uncle Sarah and Sam Cann of Abbeville, SC whom cared for him the past 16 years. Aunt Mettie Mobley of Abbeville, SC, Aunt Margaret Anderson of Barnwell, SC, uncle Carl Anderson of Barnwell, SC.
Funeral services will be conducted Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2005 at 2:00 PM from the Chapel of The Chandler-Jackson Funeral Home with the Rev. Earl Hartley officiating. The burial will follow in Forest Lawn Memory Gardens. The family is at the home of Mr. & Mrs. Sam Cann, 47 Cann Drive Abbeville, SC.
Memorials may be made to Southside Baptist Church, 505 E. Greenwood St. Abbeville, SC 29620.
THECHANDLER-JACKSON FUNERAL HOME IS IN CHARGE OF ARRANGEMENTS.
PAID OBITUARY

Gordon Hinton

WARE SHOALS — Gordon Heyward Hinton, 64, of 29 N. Greenwood Ave., widower of Judith Henderson Hinton, died Monday, Aug. 8, 2005 at his home.
He was a son of Lula Belle Sweezy Hinton and the late Glendal Hinton. He was retired from Bromley Pallet Inc., and was a member of Union Baptist Church.
Survivors include his mother of Ware Shoals; a son, Greg Hinton, of Laurens; two daughters, Christal H. Leopard and Shannon Hinton, both of Ware Shoals; three brothers, Joe Hinton of Anderson, Carl Hinton, of Westminster, and Bobby Hinton, of Ware Shoals; a sister, Gail H. Rogers, of Ware Shoals; and eight grandchildren.
Services are at 3 Wednesday at Union Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Dr. Glenn Mosteller, the Revs. Larry McCall and Chris Hudson. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Pallbearers are Michael Henderson, Keith Skinner, Joey Hinton, Randy Hinton, Daniel Culbertson, Patrick Nickelson, Jimmy Matthews and Kenny Matthews.
Honorary escorts are Wayne Davis, Lester Ashley, James Walker, Mark Culbertson, Marvin Vaughn, Irvin Vaughn and Jimmy Long.
Visitation is from 7-9 tonight at Parker-White Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of Ben and Gail Rogers, 10 West Summit Drive, Ware Shoals.
Memorials may be made to the Gordon Hinton Fund, c/o Parker-White Funeral Home, P.O. Box 242, Ware Shoals, S.C., 29692.
Parker-White Funeral Home, Ware Shoals, is in charge.

Phyllis S. McGowan

Phyllis Strain McGowan, 91, widow of Arlo McGowan, died Saturday, Aug. 6, 2005 at Wesley Commons Care Center in Greenwood.
Born in Eagle Grove, Iowa, she was a daughter of the late Nellie Mae and Jesse Strain. She was a graduate of Eagle Grove High School, was a 4-H Club leader and a member of the United Methodist Women.
Survivors include two daughters, Arloene Yungclas, of Goldfield, Iowa, and Colleen Archie, of Greenwood, a son, James Bruce McGowan, of Jacksonville, Fla., two brothers, George Strain and Jack Strain, of Seattle, Wash.; two sisters, Jean Thomas, of Seattle and Margaret Helgelsen, of Verona, Wis.; six grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
A memorial service is at 11 Thursday at Wesley Commons Ashbury Hall in Greenwood.
A memorial service is also at 11 Monday, Aug. 29 at the United Methodist Church in Renwick, Iowa.
Memorials may be sent to HospiceCare of the Piedmont Inc., 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood, S.C., 29646.
Cremation Society of South Carolina is in charge.

Edith S. Wicker

NEWBERRY — Edith S. Wicker, of 567 Beisel Road, wife of the Rev. Freddie Wicker Sr., died Saturday, Aug. 6, 2005 at Palmetto Health in Richland.
Born in Newberry County, she was a daughter of the late Lovely and Bessie Sanders. She was a member of St. John Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, of Newberry; two daughters, Sylvia A. Wicker and Dorothy W. Holmes, both of Newberry; a son, the Rev. Freddie L. Wicker Jr., of Newberry; three sisters, Elizabeth Sanderval of Silverstreet, Thelma Harp and Hattie Gibson, both of Pomaria; a brother, Horace Nelson; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Services are at 2 Thursday at St. John Baptist Church. Burial is in Werts Cemetery.
Visitation is at the home of a son, the Rev. Freddie L. Wicker Jr., 1148 Leita St., Newberry.
F.B. Pratt & Son Funeral Home Inc., Newberry, is in charge.

Betty Stevens Williams

SALUDA — Betty Stevens Williams, 56, wife of Willie Lee Williams II, died Friday, Aug. 5, 2005 at the Doctor’s Hospital in Augusta, Ga.
Born in Saluda County, she was a daughter of Lillie Mae Dobbs Stevens and the late Lindberg Stevens. She was a member of Willow Spring Baptist Church in Edgefield County.
Survivors include her husband, of South Boston, Va.; her mother of Saluda; a daughter, Sarah Ann Williams, of Saluda; a son, Willie Lee Williams III, of Edgefield; seven brothers, William Stevens, Jimmy Stevens, Edward Stevens, Lindberg Stevens Jr., George Stevens, Leo Stevens and Jerry Stevens, all of Saluda; three sisters, Lillie Mae Stevens and Doreatha Brenson, of Saluda, and Alma Brunson, of Washington, D.C.; and three grandchildren.
Services are at 2 Thursday at Willow Spring Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Anthony Gordon, assisted by Ministers Annette Mathis and Janet Corley. Burial is in the church cemetery. The body will be placed in the church at 1.
Pallbearers are nephews.
Flower bearers are nieces.
The family is at the home of her daughter, Sarah A. Williams, 409 Adventure Road, Saluda.
Butler & Sons Funeral Home is in charge.

Back to Dixie

Drake Dunlap returns to Hornets after spinal injury

August 9, 2005

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

Dixie High School junior split end Drake Dunlap, talking with his father and Hornets coach Steve Dunlap, returns to action after missing most of last season with a back injury.

DUE WEST — Whenever an athlete incurs an injury, particularly to the neck or spine, he should see a doctor right away.
Just ask Dixie High School football player Drake Dunlap.
Dunlap, a junior and son of Dixie coach Steve Dunlap, injured his back in the fourth game of the 2003 season against Palmetto. He later found out that he cracked a vertebrae in his lower back. At the time, however, he kept quiet about it.
“I was going down the sideline and I stretched out for a pass, and a defensive back from Palmetto planted his helmet right in my back,” Drake Dunlap said.
“I was worried about losing playing time, plus I was thinking about baseball in the spring. So, I just didn’t tell anybody how bad it was hurting.”
Dunlap closed out the 2003 football season and completed the ’04 baseball season without incident, though he was playing with significant pain in his back. The nagging pain continued through the summer and into the football season.
Then, in the fifth game, a home game against Whitmire, the injury hit Dunlap full force.
“I was running a route against Whitmire down the right side and I got free for a touchdown,” said Dunlap, who plays wide receiver and defensive end.
“When I took a couple of steps into the end zone I just fell out. I didn’t really know the extent of the injury or anything at that point.”
The junior said he didn’t have any feeling in his legs at the time, and his upper torso was in agony.
The feeling did not come back into his legs for nearly four days.
“My first thought was ‘Oh, man I hope Dad’s not mad’ because I hadn’t told him how bad it had been hurting me,” Dunlap said. “After that I immediately thought about losing playing time. Obviously, I found out later how serious the injury was.”
Dunlap said neither his father nor mother were mad at him because of not disclosing his injury, but were concerned as to getting him the best rehabilitation possible.
The rehabilitation itself was a three-month process overseen by Dr. David Sealy. Dunlap said it was an arduous but productive three months.
“I put my trust in Dr. Sealy and he guided me through everything,” Dunlap said. “He doesn’t let any athlete touch teh field unless they are 100 percent ready. I feel really confident in what we’ve done. My back feel’s fine now.”
One of the things Dunlap did to ease himself back into athletics was joining the Hornets basketball team last winter. Serving as reserve shooting guard, Dunlap was able to come off the bench late in games and test the strength of his back and get his conditioning in order.
“It worked out pretty well,” Dunlap said. “I was coming off the bench, playing a little here and there, so I wasn’t putting too much strain on it. At the same time, I as getting my strength up and my mindset where it needed to be.”
Dunlap said spending the last half of the 2004 football season on the sidelines helped him put things in perspective, both in his athletic career and in his personal life.
“Being hurt that bad really puts you in your place,” said Dunlap, who is also a pitcher and outfielder on the Dixie baseball team. “It just shows you how precious life really is. I was worried about getting back to football and other sports. Heck, I was worried about getting back to walking again. That can be kind of humbling.”
Through assurances from Dr. Sealy and his medical staff, Dunlap was not as concerned about walking again as he was getting back on the football field. It’s a concern that Dunlap addressed in full last week during the first full week of practice in pads.
“I’m really glad to be back out here,” Dunlap said. “My back feel’s good, plus I knew from basketball and baseball that I could withstand the activity. After the first few hits out here last week I knew I’d be fine.”
With the Hornets set to hit the field with their largest roster in four years and aiming for a return to the Class A playoffs, Dunlap is happy to be able to contribute to the team’s efforts.
“Our team chemistry is amazing right now,” Dunlap said. “We want to get a lot of this trash talk about us not being very good off our backs. I’m ready to get back out there and show what I can do and what this team can do.”

Chris Trainor covers area sports for The Index-Journal. He can be reached at: ctrainor@indexjournal.com

We are a nation of laws, so why not enforce them?

August 9, 2005

Jaycees once were a force for improvement in Greenwood. Several things are still around that remind us of what these dedicated community-service-minded young men and woman contributed to the quality of life.
Things are different these days, to be sure, but we don’t have to forget what the members of the Jaycees accomplished.
One sentence in the Jaycee Creed was indicative of what might be considered as a sign of the times. It stated simply that this is a nation of laws, not of men.
That kind of wisdom no longer appears to apply to many parts of life in the United States. It fits one, however. That’s illegal immigration.
The question is, if this is a nation of laws, why are some enforced and some not? Illegal immigration violates our laws. Still, Congress has done pitifully little to correct the situation, including cracking down on employers who exploit illegal immigrant laborers by using them and paying less than minimum wage.
It’s not like immigrants cannot still come to America. They can. But there is a legal way to do it. If we don’t insist that the laws be followed, though, nothing Congress can do will improve matters.