10,000 dollar reward offered in deputy slaying caseBY ANDY PARAS
The Post and Courier
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Colleton County sheriff's Deputy Dennis Compton To offer tips: Colleton County Council has offered a $10,000 reward for anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the fatal shooting of Deputy Dennis Compton. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 549-6530 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC. WALTERBORO — State and local authorities say they hope a $10,000 reward will lead to the last piece of information needed to solve the fatal shooting of Colleton County Deputy Dennis Compton a week ago. Capt. Roger Heaton of the State Law Enforcement Division said Wednesday that they are exhausting hundreds of leads and that they hope the reward offered by the Colleton County Council will generate more. "We're following every lead," he said. "We'd love to have somebody in custody right now. I don't think we're that far away. This $10,000 reward may very well lead us to the final piece we need." Heaton's statements were the first since Aug. 6, when SLED and other agencies launched a massive manhunt in northern Colleton County for whoever shot the deputy as he was investigating a burglary alarm near Smoaks. Authorities detained three people that night, two in Colleton County and one in Summerville. SLED said in a prepared statement Wednesday: "While numerous arrests have been made during this time, they are not directly associated with the homicide." Heaton said the large number of investigators and deputies brought into the community have made arrests as they have come across people committing crimes or having outstanding warrants. "We have made a lot of arrests, but we have not arrested anyone connected with this particular incident," Heaton said. Authorities acknowledged that Colleton County and surrounding communities are concerned that a killer is still on the loose. They said that's reflected in the number of calls they're receiving on a daily basis. "The phone has continued to ring, people have continued to walk in," Heaton said. "They want the people caught, just like law enforcement does." Authorities declined to speculate about a motive. They also declined to release further details about what happened shortly after 3 a.m. in front of the house at 699 Sunflower Drive. Colleton County Sheriff George Malone said Compton, a certified deputy for about 16 months, volunteered to respond to the alarm call for another deputy who was occupied. Deputies first knew something was wrong when the homeowner's son, who also was notified of the alarm call, arrived about 20 minutes later and found the deputy lying in the front yard with a gunshot wound. The son notified deputies on Compton's personal radio. A next-door neighbor said last week that he heard one gunshot and then three distinctively different gunshots, but no vehicle. Heaton declined to say how many shots were fired and if any of the shots came from Compton's weapon. He also declined to say if the deputy had a dashboard camera and, if he did, whether it caught any evidence on video. He said the scene has been combed over multiple times. "We are leaving absolutely no stone unturned, no doors left shut — every investigative technique is on the table," Heaton said. "We indicated to Sheriff Malone last Wednesday that we will stand beside him until this investigation is closed." Reach Andy Paras at aparas@postandcourier.com or 843-745-5891. |
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Comments
This article has 15 comment(s)
Posted by grannyofsix on August 14, 2008 at 6:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
10,000.00 is not enough for this good mans life, If the county doest have enough money for a larger reward the funds she be established, so people can donate to it a larger reward for this may bring in a lot more leads. maybe even fundraising events for the fund as well as for the family .I know it seems I am taken this personal I don't know the man or his family but I did have uncles in law enforcement and it hits home.
Posted by ChrisPia on August 14, 2008 at 7:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Granny... Although 10K is Nice I Agree It should Be 100x's that......But I also think that anyone knowing anything about this should do the right thing and come forward or make an anonymous phone call and guide Police in the right direction.RIP Dep. Compton........Do the rightthing and Give The Family some Closure.
Posted by luckylady on August 14, 2008 at 7:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree with both of you. It's sad to think it takes money to get someone to stand up and do the right thing. That money could be better served helping the family.
To the SOB that did this nasty deed - we know you are out there and the police will get you - you can run but you can't hide forever - too many people want to get you!!!
Posted by suec on August 14, 2008 at 7:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
They are not buying a man's life with 10k.
It is a reward to be used as an incentive for someone to come forward. That person will most likely be a girlfriend, relative or friend of the guilty person. It will probably be a person who knows what happened but has not come forward. But when they find out they could profit...maybe they will change their mind.
It is payment for a snitch, a person who probably knows right now what happened and who did it. See how little they will sell out for.
The 10k is not meant to reflect the value of Officer Comptons life. There is no $ amount you could place on a life.
Posted by grannyofseven_2 on August 14, 2008 at 7:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
(Granny0fsix me also) wpc3iop I thought the same and I am hoping people will start talking soon this piece of sh** (and that’s giving him or them a good name) will do the right thing. Then I hope brother officers will do the right thing. And our judges will do the right thing. God Bless the Colleton county Sheriffs office and May god keep Deputy Dennis family in his loving arms
Posted by grannyofseven_2 on August 14, 2008 at 8:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It would be nice if they resisted arrest too or they tried to escape or they got scared and hung themselves in the jail cell. I am sorry that is wrong I know but this man from what I am told was a good man I met him once and he was a very sweet guy my heart is broken for his wife mother and children . So please forgive granny if she wants revenge for them I know My God does.
Posted by jeff61 on August 14, 2008 at 8:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why would you question if the police would do the right thing?
Posted by grannyofseven_2 on August 14, 2008 at 8:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
jeff again I am. not really questioning, we know they will bring them safely to jail and let the courts do their job. It’s just me being pissed about a senseless crime and a family being torn apart. I know this isn’t the first time this has every happened but it hits close to home when your family has had LEO or FD in your family. I am sure our police will bring them in safe if at all possible.
Posted by JessicaKidd334 on August 14, 2008 at 12:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The guy that killed Deputy Compton was in Johns Island on Caneslash Road last week. The police came to find a guy named Thomas who lives right down the street from us but Thomas had already gotten the guy out of the neighborhood. I don't know his name right off hand but I am POSITIVE this is the guy who did it. He had a girl with him with long blonde hair. I don't remember the exact description of the guy b/c it was dark the only time i saw him. But I know Thomas knows the guy and his name and where he is. For more info, email me @ JessicaKidd334@msn.com & i will get the exact address and even Thomas' last name so he can be questioned.I did not know until afterwards that he was the man who shot Deputy Compton. I wish I would have known sooner when he was in our neighborhood so I could have helped more. But i do have ACCURATE information that will hopefully lead you to find the killer. Thank you very much!
Posted by suec on August 14, 2008 at 1:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Have you called the cops? There's 10k in it for you.
Posted by dani04 on August 14, 2008 at 5:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Jessicakidd please call the cops and give them all the information you have- a lot of people in walterboro are victims of robberies lately and it's a really scary feeling that whoever committed this crime could still be out there. But thanks for your comment and thanks for offering your help.
Posted by bravecharleston9myspace on August 14, 2008 at 7:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I AM POSTING JESSICA'S COMMENT ON OUR SITE....
never forgetting together,
missy - a colleton county ff's wife
Posted by STREETLAW on August 14, 2008 at 9:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
God bless Officer Compton as he starts his eternal patrol. The community should help his family every bit as much as they helped the firefighters families in the Super Store fire.
A check of the web site that gives the names and location of convicted felons shows at least 6 of them within 2 square blocks of this house and 2 within less that 100 yds. In fact, it looks like Smoaks is the felon capitol of SC. Police officers should always have backup when they respond to a high perp area. And they should knock on the door of every known felon in the vicinity.
The man shot the officer with a shotgun. That might indicate someone who lived nearby. I mean how many robbers carry shotguns as a weapon of choice? This sounds like a case of someone who lived in the area and sauntered over to the house with his shotgun on his shoulder to see what he could find.
If this information helps find the coward who killed Compton, give the reward to his family. God bless them also.
Posted by Smoaksman76 on August 14, 2008 at 11:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Streetlaw you need to get your facts right before you make outlandish statements like that.The Smoaks community covers an area of roughly 20 miles, mostly wooded and rural.Where this awful crime happened at is a scarcely populated road.Those felons who live close by are all centered in a impoverished secondary community called Padgetts.The town of Smoaks has been around since 1789 and is a very peaceful and caring.So don't you DARE let this cowardly act by a future death row resident tarnish my beloved town as a "felon capitol of SC".
Posted by SCPDBLUE on August 15, 2008 at 3:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
JessicaKidd334, If you know something please call LE any dept will take your call. Thanks