Nurse arrested

Police say woman stole patients’ IDs

January 4, 2007

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal staff writer

An arrest has been made in an identity theft case involving a contract nurse at Self Regional Healthcare.
Dianna Johnson, 55, of Savannah, Ga., was arrested by the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office and charged with four counts of financial identity fraud. She was booked into Greenwood County Detention Center and later released after posting a $400,000 bond.
Johnson is accused of taking the personal information— name, Social Security number, etc.— of Self Regional patients from their patient information sheets and using it to apply for credit cards. Authorities allege she took the credit cards and spent the maximum amount allowed before disposing of the card. She, of course, did not pay the accompanying bills, they say.
“Many of these patients were very elderly,” said Chief Deputy Mike Frederick. “They were the type of people who weren’t going to be checking their credit reports or applying for a credit card. It was a highly unethical situation.”
Johnson worked for Self as a contract nurse, a type of temporary work in which she would travel around and work at different hospitals for short periods of time.
Self Regional Healthcare public relations director Dan Branyon commented on the case via a sheriff’s department news release.
“When we became aware of the charges, Self Regional immediately took the appropriate steps,” Branyon said. “This included termination of (Johnson’s) contract, notification of the state nursing board, notification of the company which employed (Johnson) and total cooperation with law enforcement authorities.”
Frederick confirmed the hospital’s cooperation.
“We were hoping to get the cooperation of the hospital when we started our investigation,” Frederick said. “And that’s what we got. They were helpful in assisting us in this matter.”
Frederick said the hospital had done a background check on Johnson, which came back clean. He noted that her record as a nurse was solid, which was one of the reasons the hospital had acquired her services. Johnson worked at Self Regional for seven weeks in late 2006.
Frederick said Johnson has been participating in financial fraud for more than 10 years in five states around the Southeast. He indicated the case is likely to be worked in conjunction with the Secret Service because of the long amount of time Johnson’s alleged crimes have gone on.
GCSO investigator Wayne Findley expounded on Secret Service involvement.
“Johnson traveled extensively through the southern United States as part of her contract employment,” Findley said. “So we’re coordinating with the U.S. Secret Service now to ensure all these cases get wrapped up.”
Frederick said Johnson’s personal computer is likely to contain a treasure trove of evidence against her.
“She indicated to us that she had a computer which contained a large amount of evidence dating back nearly 10 years,” Frederick said.
Greenwood County Sheriff Dan Wideman commented on Johnson’s alleged actions.
“This woman abused a professional trust,” Wideman said. “In the process she destroyed these good folks’ credit while they were in a vulnerable position. We’re going to put her out of business for good.”

‘Splotch’comes home

Missing cat back at shelter weeks after vandalism

January 4, 2007

By BOBBY HARRELL
Index-Journal staff writer

Karen Pettay was prepared for a Humane Society of Greenwood board meeting Tuesday night, but not for finding a cat missing since the agency was broken into in December.
“Splotch” the cat was found Tuesday night near Wellness Works on Montague Avenue. The female feline went missing after the Humane Society was vandalized Dec. 17, said Pettay, director of the Humane Society.
Shelter officials said vandals broke into the Humane Society, which is behind the Greenwood Civic Center, by smashing the window of the front door of the adoption center.
The vandals then let many of the cats out of their cages and stole the candy machines from the lobby area. Splotch was discovered missing after the cats were rounded up and put back in their cages.
Pettay said she didn’t think the cat was taken by the vandals, but managed to escape the adoption center through the broken window.
She was amazed at how Splotch managed to travel from Greenwood Civic Center on Reynolds Avenue to Wellness Works on Montague Avenue.
Splotch was found after Wellness Works employees noticed the cat looked similar to the picture of the missing cat in Dec. 18’s Index-Journal.
Dixie Self and Dot Moore, who came to work out at Wellness Works, tried to catch the cat, but Self grabbed it. She was about to take it home for the night, but Splotch wouldn’t stay in the car.
Pettay rushed over to Wellness Works after hearing about the cat, but wasn’t certain it was Splotch. The Humane Society had been getting Splotch sightings from all over the area, including in Hodges.
Once Pettay saw Splotch, named after the splotches of black on the white parts of her face, she knew she had found the missing cat.
Splotch had been staying in the old Rose’s department store building in a hollow vertical cement beam about 10 feet above the ground in front of the store. The cat has been getting used to the Humane Society after being out in the “wild” for weeks, Pettay said.
“She ate like a pig and she’s been asleep ever since,” she said.
Splotch’s first meal after hiding was a cheeseburger left over from a Wellness Works employee.
The cat lost some weight while on the run, but Splotch was a big kitty beforehand, so the weight loss wdidn’t hurt her too much, Pettay said.
Heather Henley, an adoption counselor at the Humane Society, said employees were excited to hear of Splotch’s return. “I think it’s great,” she said. “I’m so glad it’s back.”
Henley, who reported the vandalism to the police, said cats have never run away from the Humane Society before. She worried that cats who are used to living inside wouldn’t be able to take care of themselves on the outside, despite their natural instincts.
Pettay said finding Splotch was amazing since the Humane Society gets reports of lost cats all the time.
It’s the nature of the species to be hard to find once they leave home, but Pettay always encourages people not to give up hope of finding their pets.

Obituaries

Lois Bullock Carpin

MAULDIN — Lois Bullock Carpin, 86, formerly of Huntington Road, Mauldin, widow of Joseph Anthony Carpin, died Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007 at Greenville Memorial Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood County, she was the daughter of the late Richard Preston and Lydia Mixon Bullock.
Mrs. Carpin was a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church.
Surviving are four sons and three daughters-in-law, David A. and Jayne Carpin of Atlanta, GA., Ronald V. and Janice Carpin of Simpsonville, S. Victor and Tracie Carpin of Fountain Inn, Eric M. Carpin of Duncan; six grandchildren, Ashley, Katherine, Brooke, Daniel, Andrew and Matthew Carpin; two sisters-in-law, Evelyn B. Bullock of Fork Shoals, Marie Kennedy of Ft. Pierce, FL; and a brother-in-law, Robert M. Cunningham of Columbia.
Memorials may be made to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 8 Gillin Drive, Simpsonville, SC 29681 or Open Arms Hospice, 414-A Pettigru Street, Greenville, SC 29601.
Recitation of the Rosary will be Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007 at 6 p.m. with visitation to follow until 8 p.m. at Thomas McAfee Funeral Home, Downtown. Funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday, Jan. 5, 2007 at 12:10 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. Burial will follow in Woodlawn Memorial Park.
The family will be at the home of her son Ron Carpin, 106 Shadowood Drive, Simpsonville, SC.
Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.thomasmcafee.com.

Katherine M. Clinkscales

ANDERSON — Mary Katherine Murphy Clinkscales, 85, of the Flat Rock Community, widow of the late Levi Newton “Newt” Clinkscales, IV, died Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2007 at the Hospice House in Anderson.
Born Jan. 1, 1922 in Anderson, she was the daughter of the late Robert Walter and Lottie Smith Murphy. She was retired from Scott Manufacturing Co. and was a member of Flat Rock Baptist Church.
She is survived by her son, Levi Clinkscales and wife, Rhonda, of Anderson; her daughter, June Shuler and husband, John, of Greenwood; five grandchildren, Levi Clinkscales of Anderson, Ashley Rollins of Pendleton, John Shuler, III of Aiken, Travis and Brent Shuler of Atlanta; five great-grandchildren; six sisters, Ola Kellett of Waynesville, NC, Willie Mae Little of Easley, Lee Vanaman of Fayetteville, NC, Etrulia Murphy, Pauline Kay, and Margaret McKinley, all of Anderson; and a sister-in-law, Evelyn Murphy of Sneeds Ferry, NC.
In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by a sister, Doris Parker, and a brother, Robert Murphy.
Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Sullivan-King Mortuary, Northeast Chapel, conducted by Rev. Ed Hunsinger and Rev. Larry Cox. Burial will be in Flat Rock Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 1:30 until 2:30 p.m. Friday at the northeast chapel, 3205 North Highway 81, Anderson. The family is at the residence in the Flat Rock Community.
Memorials may be made to the Flat Rock Cemetery Fund, c/o Ray Boggs, 135 Chuck Drive, Anderson, SC 29624 or to Hospice of the Upstate, 1835 Rogers Road, Anderson, SC 29621.
Sullivan-King Mortuary, Northeast Chapel.

Willie James Humphrey

NINETY SIX — Willie James Humphrey, 83, of 103 Quince St., widower of Mae Belle Humphrey, passed away Monday, Jan. 1, 2007 at his home.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of the late James Humphrey and Cassie Smith Humphrey. He was a Buffalo Soldier during WW II, a former employee of Southern Brick and a member of Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
He is survived by two sons, Art James Dunbar of the home and Ricardo Humphrey of Buffalo, NY; two daughters, Doris Humphrey of Coronaca and Wanda Humphrey of Buffalo, NY; one sister, Hattie Mae Johnson of Philadelphia, PA; 13 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held 1 p.m. Friday at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Coronaca, with Rev. Bernard White officiating.
Burial will be in the church cemetery.
Flower bearers and pallbearers will be friends of the family. The body will be placed in the church at noon. The family is at the home of his daughter Doris Humphrey, 125 Aull Road, Coronaca.
Percival-Tompkins Funeral Home is assisting the family.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at pertompfh1@earthlink.net.

CORRECTION

For the obituary of Agnes Harmon in Wednesday’s paper, there was an error in the information given to The Index-Journal.
Survivors include a niece, Jan H. and husband, Jimmy, Stroud, of Simpsonville.

Opinion

Adversaries, not enemies good advice to remember

January 4, 2007

Before the attention given to a genuine statesman completely subsides, there is something worthy of committing to the soul of our nation, as well as to the personal memories of the American people.
Gerald Ford, the so-called accidental president showed all of us something about grace and class. It’s a pity that many South Carolinians were among the people who rejected him for a presidential term in his own right. We could have learned a lot more.
As successor to Richard Nixon, who resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal/fiasco, President Ford brought a level of integrity to the office that is unequaled in the history of the nation.
History will, no doubt, treat him kindly. What he did to secure the ties that bind is already recognized. He did much more, though. President Ford, who died last week at 94, lived what he believed: If he couldn’t say something good about anyone, he wouldn’t say anything.
Perhaps the defining statement came from him. He had political adversaries, he used to say, not enemies. That he practiced, too. In the bloodthirsty political environment of today, we could use a lot of Gerald Ford in both major political parties.