South Carolina agency coordinates law enforcement efforts with NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement By W. Thomas Smith Jr. AS SPRING TURNS TO SUMMER and South Carolina vacationers’ thoughts turn to the Palmetto State’s 187 miles of pristine coastline, so too does the S.C. Department of Natural Resources’ (SCDNR’s) law-enforcement armContinue Reading
The Irmo Fire District made local homes safer over the weekend, installing new smoke alarms in more than 30 homes in the New Friarsgate neighborhood as part of its Smoke Alarm Blitz program. This initiative provides free smoke alarms to residents who need them, helping to save lives by ensuringContinue Reading
IRMO, SC – Officer Todd Minemier, School Resource Officer (SRO) at Lake Murray Elementary School, has been named the 2025 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by American Legion Post 6. Minemier was nominated by his Richland County Sheriff’s Department supervisors in recognition of his outstanding service. Each year, American LegionContinue Reading
Amari Smith, age 24, of Columbia, has received a sentence of 30 years for his role in the April 16, 2022 Columbiana Mall mass shooting. Smith pled guilty November 1, 2024, following the trial of State v. Jewayne Price in Lexington County. Price was convicted by a jury in OctoberContinue Reading
Deputies past and present have been gathering for more than a quarter century By W. Thomas Smith Jr. SHERIFF LEON LOTT AND THE RICHLAND COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT (RCSD) hosted the department’s 27th annual retirees’ luncheon at RCSD’s Denny Terrace training headquarters substation – the cafeteria-auditorium of the former Denny TerraceContinue Reading
How the hit TV series benefits the Richland County Sheriff’s Department By W. Thomas Smith Jr. [A version of this article was published in POLICE1, March 11, 2025] SINCE ITS TELEVISION PREMIER on July 22, 2022, “On Patrol: Live,” a reality TV docuseries produced by Half Moon Pictures and airingContinue Reading
IRMO, S.C. – The Town of Irmo announces the resignation of Mayor Pro-Tem Erik Sickinger, effective immediately, following his recent arrest and the serious charges brought against him by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). The Town acknowledges the gravity of these allegations and remains steadfast in its commitmentContinue Reading
Irmo Town Councilman Erik Sickinger, 42, has been arrested for sexual conduct with a minor. He has been charged with three different counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a minor younger than 16, second degree; and three counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor. He was arrested by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department andContinue Reading
Updated March 4, 2025 Green Charter School of the Midlands is NOT affiliated with Lexington-Richland School District 5. Irmo officers have arrested the principal and a teacher employed by Green Charter School of the Midlands. Sulaymaan Benoit, 32, was charged with 8 counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct 3rd Degree andContinue Reading
*** MISSING PERSON *** The Irmo Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating 16 year old Taja Fletcher. She was last seen leaving her residence this morning at 7:25 am. She was wearing a teal sweatshirt, white pants and black shoes. She is 5 feet 4 inchesContinue Reading
IRMO – Two Dutch Fork High School students were detained Tuesday after school resource officers (SROs) received tips that they had brought firearms onto campus. According to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old had weapons in a vehicle they arrived in that morning. A search ofContinue Reading