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
LEXINGTON, S.C. – Lexington County deputies have arrested a Greensboro, North Carolina, woman accused of using fake cashier’s checks to make several purchases, including multiple vehicles. Sierra Blair Stewart, 34, is charged with three counts of forgery for $10,000 or more, and one count each of presenting an altered vehicleContinue Reading
Richland County, SC – The Richland County Sheriff’s Department has arrested five teenagers in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred on January 28, 2025, in the 1000 block of Miles Bowman Rd. Deputies responded to reports of gunfire around 9:30 p.m. and discovered a 23-year-old man deceased in theContinue Reading
Training developed in-house said to be the first on its scale in the Palmetto State By W. Thomas Smith Jr. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) held its first-ever graduation of 22 deputy sheriffs enrolled in the department’s new TACTICAL MEDICAL PROGRAM, which prepares deputies for the full-spectrum of challengesContinue Reading