Richland County Sheriff’s Department points to mobile-phone forensics as “vital asset” in recent homicide-solving successes By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Recent national reports of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s (RCSD) successes in solving 100-percent of all homicide cases (80 murder cases in fact since 2023) beg the question: How? BroadContinue Reading
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Columbia has returned a two-count indictment charging Eric Anthony Rome Jr., 37, an inmate in the South Carolina Department of Corrections, with sending a threatening letter to a Jewish/Christian organization and threatening to kill former President Donald Trump. According to the indictment,Continue Reading
International intelligence collection, countering human-trafficking, mine-clearing efforts in Eastern Europe, expansion into Africa, and a South Carolina connection By W. Thomas Smith Jr. The board of directors of U.S.-based CRIME STOPPERS GLOBAL SOLUTIONS (CSGS) gathered for a quarterly Zoom meeting, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, to discuss ongoing projects on severalContinue Reading
LEXINGTON, S.C. (January 15, 2026) — The Lexington Police Department is seeking information on the whereabouts of Christian Dominick Long, 33, of Lexington, in connection with a series of thefts from motor vehicles. According to investigators, the incidents occurred during the early morning hours of December 24, 2025, in aContinue Reading
Press conference addresses the good and not-so-good in terms of criminal activity over the previous year By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott held a first-of-the-year press conference, January 6, addressing countywide crime trends – the good and the not so good – going into 2026. LottContinue Reading
Quick action by restaurant staff leads to rapid response from Irmo Fire District IRMO, S.C. — A potentially larger and more destructive fire at Tuscany Village may have been averted Sunday afternoon thanks to employees attending a private party at Bistro on the Boulevard. According to a spokesperson for theContinue Reading
Popular Midlands-area School Resource Officer attends international police conference in Seoul By W. Thomas Smith Jr. I love Korea. I love and respect the country for its deep, rich history and culture (food and art included), and for the very nature of who the Korean people are and have beenContinue Reading
Richland County EMS staff delivered multiple ambulance loads of toys and gifts on December 15 as part of the county’s annual Stuff an Ambulance holiday toy drive. The delivery took place at the Richland County Judicial Center in downtown Columbia. The donated items will benefit children involved in Richland CountyContinue Reading
Fifty local families were recently treated to the annual Shop With a Cop event hosted by the Irmo Police Department. The program was held on two dates this year, December 11 and December 18, at the Walmart in Ballentine. Each participating family received a $300 gift certificate to use towardContinue Reading
COLUMBIA — The Columbia-Richland Fire Department recognized 21 of its members who advanced to new leadership roles during a promotion ceremony held Dec. 1 at the Busby Street Community Center. The ceremony honored the promotion of 12 firefighters to senior firefighter, seven to fire captain, as well as the appointmentContinue Reading
LEXINGTON COUNTY — A Lexington County man and woman were arrested following a traffic stop that led to multiple drug and weapons charges, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. Jonathon Shockley, 26, was charged with: Two counts of trafficking fentanyl Two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaineContinue Reading