Local Magistrate’s Office clerk
facing charge of grand larceny

Authorities say more than $22,000 in public funds stolen from office

April 12, 2006

A Greenwood County Magistrate’s Office clerk has been charged with grand larceny in connection with the alleged theft of more than $22,000 in public funds from that office, according to the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s deputies charged Toni Cole, of Emili Lane in Greenwood.
After a hearing in Abbeville, Cole was released on a personal recognizance bond pending trial. The sheriff’s office said the hearing took place in Abbeville to avoid a potential conflict of interest and the appearance of favoritism.
Several prior reports of missing funds from within the Magistrate’s Office were investigated by the state in recent months, the sheriff’s office said. When a new allegation involving about $5,000 arose last week, Sheriff Dan Wideman decided to investigate the matter in-house.
“It was an extremely uncomfortable and awkward investigation,” Wideman said, “but a lot of what we have to do is uncomfortable. I felt that we had a responsibility to stop these thefts, so that’s what we did.”
This case is unrelated to last week’s report of the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) charging a Greenwood Municipal Court employee with embezzlement of public funds.
Wideman described the Cole investigation as “continuing” and said SLED is assisting his office. Wideman also said he briefed Greenwood County Manager Jim Kier as soon as he made the decision to conduct the investigation and described Kier’s support as “absolute and unconditional.”
Kier said he fully concurred with Wideman’s decision to investigate the office.
“Although the Magistrate’s Office is not a county office in the purest sense,” Kier said, “I felt like we were dealing with the public trust in this case, so I expressed to Sheriff Wideman that my office and County Council would support a complete and thorough investigation to the fullest extent possible within our authority.”
Sheriff’s office investigators and SLED agents are continuing their investigation into the missing funds, which have not been fully accounted for.
They continue to review financial records and conduct interviews, and seized accounting and financial records from the Magistrate’s Office.
Chief Deputy Mike Frederick said “we went over and demanded the accounting and financial records from the Magistrate’s Office, and (Chief Magistrate Joe) Cantrell called Court Administration to find out what he could and could not legally release.
“They called him back very shortly and told him to produce whatever documents we demanded, and he did so.”
Cole, charged with a felony that carries a potential 10-year prison sentence, could face additional charges, including embezzlement, the sheriff’s office said. That decision would be at the discretion of the Eighth Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
Frederick said that although both offenses are 10-year felonies because of the amount of money involved, subtle legal differences exist between the two sections of law.
“The embezzlement statute was written specifically to provide for the prosecution of persons who violate the public trust,” Frederick said. “It also allows the prosecution to infer that persons who receive public funds and fail to properly account for them have fraudulently appropriated them.”
Wideman said his office will continue to work with SLED and Greenwood County government to account for all missing funds.
“We’re arranging a forensic audit of the Magistrate’s Office now,” Wideman said. “We’ll forward our criminal findings to the Solicitor’s Office and assist the county in any way possible regarding the missing money.”

Geting inked

Local resident’s masterpieces displayed
on skin instead of canvases, museum walls

April 12, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

Ever since he was a kid, Greenwood resident Tim Farmer has been drawing, and he plans to make a living off his artistic talents.
But Farmer doesn’t work with oil paints or canvases, and you won’t find his creations hanging on the walls of any museum.
His masterpieces are displayed on skin.
Thanks to a move by South Carolina lawmakers, Farmer is one of a number of tattoo artists who can now legally ink up customers in the Palmetto State.
Within the next week, Farmer, 28, said he plans to move to Myrtle Beach and begin tattooing with a few artists he met in Spartanburg.
“To me, this is a big step” for the state to legalize tattooing, Farmer said. “I think we will become like every other state where it is common to see tattoo shops — which is a joy to me.”
South Carolina once outlawed the practice of tattooing, until lawmakers lifted the ban about two years ago, according to The Associated Press.
“That gave hope to all potential artists in South Carolina,” Farmer said. “It meant that we would finally be able to express ourselves ... and keep money within our state.”
With tattoos covering his own arms and hand, and one that spans his chest, Farmer said he knows the new tattoo law might create a few “raised eyebrows” as more people pass by with colorful skin, but he added that adjustment would come with time.
“There will be a period of transition. At first, people will be in shock and awe that tattoos have been allowed, but, gradually, they will come around to where they see it is just like every other state,” Farmer said. “If you go out in public, odds are that the old-fashioned people will raise an eyebrow, but, for the younger crowd, it’s tolerable and it’s intriguing.”
Farmer has worked as a tattoo artist before, working at a facility in Georgia for about a year. He’s even done a few of his own.
“What artist in the making doesn’t do his own work,” Farmer said, smiling. “You have to get practice somewhere.”
He said he made the transition into the practice slowly, working his way off paper and onto skin.
“It’s been building gradually, and it’s a skill that I cultivated and nurtured until where I am now,” he said, adding that after he picked up his tattoo equipment, he started out by doing a few pieces for friends. “I started reading (tattoo) magazines and, before I knew it, I had heatedly delved into tattooing and the whole business.”
Cleanliness, Farmer said, is a major concern for all professional tattoo artists, adding that he had to complete a certification course in sterilization and must pass CPR and first aid certification before he can legally practice.
“The slightest thing can cause an infection,” he said. “You have to be very careful. It has to be a medical-quality procedure.”
Farmer said that once customers make the “very permanent” decision to get a tattoo — and what design and location they prefer — he uses a stencil to place the design on the skin before filling in the outline with colorful ink. Depending on the size and location, the tattoo can take hours to create.
And, yes, Farmer added, they do hurt.
“It’s going to be painful,” he said, laughing. “There are no less-painful areas of the body to get a tattoo ... A lot of people are scared about the needle, but it’s the equivalent of falling down and scraping your elbow. A doctor’s needle scares me way more than a tattoo needle does.”
While each tattoo is as unique as the person who wears it, Farmer said popular choices today include religious and sentimental symbols and Chinese characters. Women, he added, more frequently choose the lower back for their tattoos, while men seem to prefer the upper arm.
Farmer urged that clients think seriously about tattoos before going under the needle because removal procedures — such as laser removal or covering the unwanted tattoo with another — can be painful, pricey and leave scars.
“I also urge that you avoid getting another person’s name tattooed on you, especially a lover. That is a faux pas,” he said, smiling.
Though some in the state might frown upon tattooing or might be unwilling to accept the practice, Farmer said he loves creating art on people.
“I’m very passionate about art,” he said. “(With tattoos), you get to transform a willing person’s skin into a canvas and create a work of art on their skin. It’s strictly aesthetic beauty. However, it’s not for everyone.”

DHEC issues warning about potential
for tattoo infections

April 12, 2006

By VIC MacDONALD
Index-Journal regional editor

A lack of careful handwashing and using materials on more than one person could result in potential health dangers from tattoos, the state’s health monitoring agency said.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control warns that a tattoo improperly applied or applied with needles that are not sterile can produce infections.
However, DHEC said, tattoos applied correctly by an experienced and permitted artist should not pose a health risk for most healthy people.
DHEC’s advisory came the day an Abbeville man was charged with operating an illegal tattoo parlor. Donnie Eugene Cook Jr. was arrested and charged with performing tattoos on minors without parental consent. Police said they learned Cook was operating a tattoo business illegally after a woman and a 16-year-old complained about him.
Police Chief Neil Henderson said officers found needles, ink and picture books of tattoos at Cook’s home. Two people who got tattoos from Cook tested positive for staph infections, DHEC said.
A state epidemiologist said staph bacteria lives on human skin and can be present on environmental surfaces, and a tattoo wound can allow the bacteria under the skin. The infection can look like an infected pimple, an insect bite, a spider bite or a pus-filled sore.
DHEC cautions anyone who gets a staph infection to be careful not to touch the infected skin, to help prevent the infection from spreading to other skin areas.
“If you decide to have a tattoo, only go to permitted tattoo facilities,” said Dr. Jerry Gibson, chief of DHEC’s Bureau of Disease Control.
In addition to staph infections, DHEC warns that HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C can occur if strict infection control procedures are not used by tattoo artists.
At its Monday meeting, Greenwood City Council is prepared to consider a recommendation from the City/County Planning Commission to allow tattoo parlors in general commercial (GC) areas.
City/County Planner Phil Lindler said the GC recommendation was based on the DHEC rule that no tattoo parlor can be within 1,000 feet of a school, church or playground. Also, the planning commission added its own recommendation that no tattoo parlor can be located within 1,000 feet of a similar business.
That way, Lindler said, Greenwood won’t have five tattoo parlors lined up beside each other.
“We felt like this (GC zoning designation) was the best place other than our industrial or warehouse districts where they would be off the beaten path,” Lindler said. “These businesses like to have exposure on the roadways. And the Planning Commission felt if you put them out of the way, it would encourage the bad connotations of these businesses. (The commission) felt you should put them where they can be seen.”
Lindler said state law also provides that no tattoo parlor can have inside it any other business, such as body piercing or jewelry. He said discussions he has had with people coming into the planning office inquiring about local regulations are that the state regulations are stringent, compared to other states, but reasonable because of the hygiene issues.
“Most said the regulations are fair,” Lindler said.

Area A.D.s keep watch on their teams

Lander, Erskine have codes of conduct
that set guidelines for student-athletes

April 12, 2006

By MICHAEL STONE
Index-Journal sports editor

Mark Peeler, the athletic director at Erskine College, had one thought when first reading about allegations of rape by members of the lacrosse team at Duke University.
“Thank God that’s not us.”
For Peeler and Jeff May, the A.D. at Lander University, there is always a concern that the young men and women who play intercollegiate sports for their schools might be involved in something illegal. And the two schools have set up a series of guidelines for their student-athletes to follow, a code of conduct that players must agree to before putting on a uniform.
For May, wearing the Lander jersey is personal.
He played basketball for the then-Senators from 1969-73 and is the program’s all-time leading scorer. He had his jersey retired and has been inducted into the Lander Athletics Hall of Fame.
He became A.D. in 1997 and watches nearly 200 athletes in 11 sports at the university. May said part of the school’s philosophy toward athletics begins with the coaches during recruiting.
“We tell our student-athletes we want them to be good citizens, have character and a spirit of volunteerism,” May said. “Our coaches are very important. We try to hire good people that can teach young people, as well as coach their sport.”
Once student-athletes enroll at Lander, they are given a handbook that specifically spells out the university’s policies regarding schoolwork, classroom attendance, sportsmanship, the use of steroids and drugs and alcohol, and criminal activity.
Penalties can range from a one-game suspension to the cancellation of an athlete’s scholarship for breaking the conduct code, May said.
At Lander, there is usually a team meeting once a year to go over the code of conduct, and all players must sign a statement saying they have read and understand the policies.
Student-athletes are also randomly tested for drugs during the school year. Since August, 81 players have been tested and all have passed, May said.
Lander and Erskine are both “dry” campuses, meaning alcohol is forbidden on school property. And May and Peeler say alcohol use is the biggest problem they face.
“Almost all of the violations and suspensions with student-athletes have been alcohol related,” May said.
Peeler, who has been the men’s basketball coach for seven seasons and is in his second year as A.D., has about 180 student-athletes in nine sports to manage.
“I think if you look at every college campus now, ninety-five percent of all the bad things that happen, alcohol is involved,” he said.
Like Lander, Erskine has a student handbook that outlines the college’s policies regarding conduct.
And, like Lander, Peeler says the first step is recruiting the right players.
“We want our coaches to be concerned about the quality of person, not just the quality of their athletic ability,” Peeler said. “We judge our coaches more on character of the team rather than on making the NCAA tournament.”
Erskine also does random drug tests. So far, the college has conducted four testing periods, with 30-40 student-athletes tested in each period, Peeler said.
No charges have been filed against any members of Duke lacrosse team, but in the wake of the ongoing investigation, the season has been canceled and the head coach has resigned.
While nothing of this magnitude has happened at Erskine or Lander, May and Peeler are aware that one mistake by one player can cast the entire school in a bad light.
“We tell them they represent Erskine College and that expectations for student-athletes are greater (than for other students),” Peeler said. “When it comes right down to it, you hope you have the right kids.”
“The problem is this can happen anywhere,” May said. “We try to make our students-athletes feel that they are a part of this community, and we reinforce how to conduct themselves.”

Opinion

What’s done about gas? Are lawmakers at work?

April 12, 2006

Once again drivers around the Greenwood area are having to pay more at the pump. In fact, the price for a gallon of gasoline has been going up several times a week. Actually, it’s like that all over the Lakelands and the rest of South Carolina.
A variety of reasons has been cited for the price hikes, from reduced refining capacity to supply of crude oil to the terrorists in Iraq. It appears to get so confusing sometimes that average drivers have a hard time deciphering it all. Even if they do, it’s difficult to understand.
The biggest majority of drivers, to be sure, are faced with having to rob Peter to pay Paul ..... they have to cut down elsewhere to accommodate the price hikes. For many, of course, there is no choice. They have to pay more or not have transportation to get to work ..... or any other place they must go ..... medical, educational, etc.

THOSE HIT THE HARDEST, without a doubt, are people on fixed income, retired or otherwise. They, and others who live on tight budgets, have tough choices to make about whether to buy gasoline, sometimes, or cut down on food and other essentials. One thing they can’t forego, though, is prescription medicines. For many, that’s a life or death situation.
When people complain, then, they’re not just crying wolf. The wolf is literally at their doors. It may be that it’s a problem that defies any solution, in the short run or over time. Be that as it may, Congress should be focusing on alleviating the problem, particularly for those being squeezed into a corner.

IT’S NOT A REPUBLICAN OR Democratic matter, either. It’s a people matter. If there is a way to provide oil and gasoline and refinery potential to help ease the pressure on the hardest hit, it should not require debate. Gasoline is not a frill. For many it’s an absolute necessity. The way it sounds, it’s going to get worse before it gets better, too.
Escalating gasoline prices have a negative effect, of course, on other necessities. Lawmakers in Washington - South Carolina, too, for that matter - should tell their constituents what they’re doing, if they’re doing anything, to help. They can debate war, terror, Social Security and other matters. Fuel, though, at the moment, is the paramount interest for many people. They deserve to hear if the problem is getting any attention.

Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.

his wife and two sons, George Lovell IV and Tommy Wayne Hutchinson, all of the home; a daughter, Brandi H. Johnson of Ninety Six; his parents of Waterloo; a sister, Tiffany D. Thomas of Greenwood; three stepsisters, Darlene Loveless of Greenwood, Pamela Lynn Warren of Batesburg and Charlotte I. Martin of Columbia; a brother, Joseph Johnson of Saluda; two grandchildren.
Services are 3 p.m. Thursday at Harley Funeral Home, conducted by the Rev. David Cockrell and Linda Shirley.
Visitation is 7-9 tonight at the funeral home.
The family is at the home of his parents, 156 Whitten Road, Waterloo.
Memorials may be made to the family c/o Harley Funeral Home & Crematory, PO Box 777, Greenwood, SC 29648.
Harley Funeral Home & Crematory is in charge.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.harleyfuneralhome.com

Joseph Alvin Norman Jr.

HONEA PATH — Joseph Alvin Norman Jr., 35, of 505 Chiquola Avenue, Apt. 15, died Monday, April 10, 2006, at AnMed Health Center.
Born in Charlotte, N.C., he was a son of Joseph Alvin Norman Sr. and the late Doris Jean Robinson Norman. He was a graduate of Belton-Honea Path High School, attended Cedar Grove Baptist Church and had worked at Johnston Livestock Co.
Survivors include his father of the home; a sister, Cheryl Robinson Calwile of Richmond, Va.
Services are 2 p.m. Thursday at Cedar Grove Baptist Church, Belton, conducted by the Revs. William Cleveland and Lewis Pitts. The body will be placed in the church at 1. Burial is in the church cemetery.
Viewing is after 3 p.m. today at Robinson Walker Funeral Service, Ware Shoals.
The family is at the home of an uncle, Larry Robinson, 505 Chiquola Avenue, Apt. 14.
Robinson-Walker Funeral Service is in charge.

James Michael ‘Mike’ O’Sullivan

CAMPOBELLO — James Michael “Mike” O’Sullivan, 59, of 185 Boxelder Dr., Campobello, passed away Tuesday, April 11th, at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, Spartanburg, SC.
Born in Spartanburg, SC on Saturday, July 20, 1946, he was the son of the late P.J. and Annie Mae (Harrill) O’Sullivan. He retired from Mitsubishi of Greer after 37 years of service.
He was the husband of Frankie Paulette (Burrell) O’Sullivan.
He was a member of New Prospect Baptist Church, Inman, SC. Mike grew up in the Connie Maxwell Children’s Home in Greenwood. He was a graduate of Byrnes High School and a member of the Southern Classic Cruisers Car Club.
In addition to his wife he is survived by one son, Michael Paul O’Sullivan and wife Brooke, of Inman; two daughters, Christina Allen and husband Mark, of Greer, SC, Kelly Greene, of Greer, SC; one brother, Boyce O’Sullivan and wife Bert of Campobello; 5 grandchildren, Brandy, Brandon, and Tabitha Greene and Taylor and Bailee Allen. He was predeceased by a sister, Linda Ryan and a brother, Carroll O’Sullivan. He is also survived by two life-long friends, Hack Hensley and wife Sharon, of Greenville, SC.
Funeral services will be held at New Prospect Baptist Church, Inman, SC at 3:00 PM on Thursday, April 13th, with Rev. Ron Gaddy, Rev. Beryl Wyatt, and Rev. Joe Geddes officiating.
Burial will be in Roselawn Memorial Gardens, Inman, SC.
The family is at the home and will receive friends Thursday 1:30-3:00 PM at New Prospect Baptist Church.
Memorial contributions may be made to Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, PO Box 1178, Greenwood, SC 29648.
Seawright Funeral Home, Inman.
PAID OBITUARY

Wilson ‘Rock’ Sudduth

NINETY SIX — Wilson “Rock” Sudduth, 62, of 509 Hollingsworth Road, husband of Kathy B. Sudduth, died Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at his home.
The family is at the home.
Visitation is 7-9 tonight at Harley Funeral Home.
Services will be announced by Harley Funeral Home & Crematory, Greenwood.