Scott tapes releasedJudge lifts ban on publishing jail calls BY ANDY PARAS
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
GREENWOOD — A judge Tuesday lifted a restraining order preventing The Post and Courier from publishing recordings of phone calls state Sen. Randy Scott made to his wife while in jail April 19 on a charge of driving under the influence. Circuit Judge James Williams rejected Scott's attorneys' arguments that publishing the tapes would make it impossible for him to have a fair trial. He also pointed out that the tapes already have been published on multiple political blogs. On the tape, Scott called his wife, Amanda, from his jail cell and instructed her to tell Magistrate Michael Londergan, a relative, to get to the jail right away to conduct a bond hearing. In 36 minutes of tape, Scott repeatedly tells his wife that he wasn't drunk when pulled over by a Dorchester County deputy and that it was all a setup. The Dorchester County Sheriff's Office gave the recordings to The Post and Courier last week after the newspaper filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act. Scott's attorneys petitioned the court the next day, asking the judge to prevent the dissemination of the recordings until a judge could conduct a hearing on whether the newspaper could publish them. The judge issued an order temporarily restraining the paper and Stender and Associates, which also received the recordings, from publishing them. Video
A Dorchester County sheriff's deputy pulls over State Sen. Randy Scott on Froman Drive on April 19. Watch » John Kerr, attorney for the newspaper, said in court Tuesday that the restraining order should be lifted based on a previous state Supreme Court ruling that establishes a three-pronged balancing test for determining whether a prior restraint is justified. Kerr said keeping the paper from printing the information wouldn't make a difference because two Web sites have already published the recordings. "The cat is already out of the bag," Kerr said. Scott's legal team argued that Dorchester County Sheriff Ray Nash should never have released the recordings, and to make them public would violate Scott's right to a fair trial, along with the privilege protecting husband and wife conversations. The attorneys, who have argued all along that the arrest was politically motivated, said in court that the release of the tapes was intended to harm their client, who is running for re-election in June. "This thing will be all over the Lowcountry, judge," Attorney Robert Robbins said. Williams agreed with the newspaper's argument and dissolved his prior order. He said that while the case no doubt will generate publicity, there are ways for a judge to get around pre-trial publicity. He also said there's no way he can prevent the public from seeing the information if it's already out there. Video
State Sen. Randy Scott prepares for a breath test April 19 after being pulled over by a Dorchester County sheriff's deputy. Watch » Nash said he consulted the Sheriff's Office attorney and released the recordings after concluding that "the inmate, while in jail, has no expectation of privacy" because a recording tells the inmate and the listener that the calls are being recorded and monitored. He reiterated that the deputies were just doing their jobs, the arrest wasn't politically motivated and his department was following the FOIA law by turning the tapes over. The recordings show Scott telling his wife to call magistrates to get him out of jail in the middle of the night. In the first call, Scott tells her to call Londergan to bail him out. "Tell him I said to get down here as quick as possible," he said. He then gives his wife a brief description of the traffic stop that landed him in jail. "They set me up tonight. They set me up." In the second call, Scott starts yelling and cursing when Amanda tells him that Londergan hasn't left his house yet, and she says Londergan wanted to wait until morning. Scott erupts, cursing: "It ain't (expletive) best if he waits until in the morning. He's too (expletive) lazy to come down here. That's his damn trouble." Londergan did not return calls to his home for this story. Scott calls Amanda a third time. She tells him that Londergan said he's coming down but that he's worried that he could get in trouble because Scott and Londergan are related. Scott says he has to bond out everyone at once, but asks her to get in touch with some other magistrates. Later in the third call to his wife, Scott says the situation is going to be embarrassing for him. "Yessir," Amanda says. "It'll hit the paper tomorrow," Scott says. "I'm going down for sure." Amanda agrees with him. "Yep, yep, you're going, honey." Scott: "You don't think I can pull it out?" She says she doesn't know anything about the situation because she was asleep. In another call, Amanda asks Scott where he was coming from at the time he was stopped. "I was just riding around." "You were just riding around?" she asks. "I wasn't drunk either," Scott says. "This ain't nothing but politics. That's all it is." "We'll see what it's all about," his wife says. In the final call, shortly before 6 a.m., he tells his wife that he can't sleep in jail. "You should have thought about that before you got there," she says. "Yeah, I should," he says. She tells him she'll chat with him later. Scott asks her about what. "A lot. A lot of things. We're being recorded, you know," she says. Scott chuckles. Scott is bonded out about an hour and 15 minutes later, about eight hours after his arrest. |
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Comments
This article has 133 comment(s)
Posted by theballsiam on May 7, 2008 at 3:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Pretty odd and interesting story so far.
Posted by Thomas1776 on May 7, 2008 at 3:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
After listening to that clown being belligerent and cussing over the phone (which constitutes an harassing phone call) and screaming about his relative (A Magistrate) holding a special bond hearing for him ..... well .... it tells me this guy is clearing a jackbutt and on a power trip.
All this shows is more of how these idiots we have in Columbia really are behind the scenes. I say throw the book at this jerk. Even his own wife told him that she was smarter than him *laughs*
Yeah. A State Senator with no real brains. Lots of bull talk and no brains. Isn't that par for the course?
Posted by Thomas1776 on May 7, 2008 at 3:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"Scott called his wife, Amanda, from his jail cell and instructed her to tell Magistrate Michael Londergan to get to the jail RIGHT AWAY to conduct a bond hearing.
Just a small example of the illegal and unethical conduct that goes on behind the curtain. Should this Magistrate be sanctioned?
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 6:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why would Sheriff Nash Release these tapes? Political?
Amazing How Articulate Mr Scott is when he is supposed to be drunk.
How about How He dialed the phone so many times accurately.
Interesting How long it takes to get through about 2 and a Half minutes per call.(are All Inmates Charged for the time they try to get through).FLEECING?
The Phone system says you can be monitored at anytime Not you are being recorded.
He also states numerous times He was setup.
He also was not given any special priveleges from the magistrates except maybe being given water after they called.
I can See OSHA Must Have missed the running water in the cell he was placed in.
Most people who are drunk would go to sleep once they get to their cell not stay up all night.And No-one who is drunk would have been able to use that phone system.So In My opinion He was not drunk He was setup
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 6:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ray Nash had an option Not to release those tapes if He was going to Use them in Court. He Chose to release them. He wasn't requiered to do this.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 6:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
http://www.journalscene.com/News/0507NEs...
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 6:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
http://www.journalscene.com/news/0507NEk...
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 6:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"We wanted to show that the Republican Party supports the military," Dorchester County Republican Party Chairman Arthur Bryngelson said.
They were invited by Jim Emery, a retired Air Force colonel and party leader. Folly Beach Public Safety Director Terry Boatwright, who is running for Dorchester sheriff, bought their tickets.
GOP Touts Conservative Vision May 4,2008 dave Monday
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 6:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Candidate: Rose, Michael TPosition Sought: State SenateDistrict/Locale: 38Election Type: PrimaryElection Date: 06/10/2008Filing Type: OriginalFiling Date: 04/09/2008Select a tab to view more.
SummaryContributions ExpendituresLoansLoan PaymentsAssetsContributions Date Contributor Address Occupation Amount
03/28/2008 Evelyn Cook 222 Moon Dance Lane
Summerville, SC 29483 Executive Assistant $50.00
03/28/2008 Aleene Kann 103 Tabby Ln
Summerville, SC 29485 housewife $500.00
03/27/2008 Randy Kann 103 Tabby Ln
Summerville, SC 29483 Engineer $252.50
03/25/2008 Linda Shelbourne 200 S Palmetto St
Summerville, SC 29483 Hospitality $809.41
03/24/2008 Janice Stewart 8 Country Club Dr
Annandale, NJ 08801 Business Owner $100.00
03/23/2008 Ronald Turner 102 N Hampton St
Summerville, SC 29483 Realtor/Mortgage Broker $50.00
03/20/2008 Carl Cecil 4616 Sutton Oaks Dr
Chantilly, VA 20151 Realtor $500.00
03/17/2008 Ray McClure 3301 Turnbury Way
Woodstock, GA 30189 Ind. Rep WV $25.00
03/17/2008 Bob Mikell 23 Pinehurst Dr
Washington, NJ 07882 Travel $50.00
03/16/2008 James D McGraw 104 Lucretia Ln
Summerville, SC 29483 Retired $100.00
03/16/2008 Marvin H Cregger 310 Central Ave
Summerville, SC 29483 Retired $100.00
03/16/2008 Scott G Turner 411 Central Avenue
Summerville, SC 29483 Controller $10.00
03/16/2008 James Emery 100 High Bridge Rd
Summerville, SC 29485 Retired $100.00
03/06/2008 Michael D Schall 1415 Remount Rd
N Charleston, SC 29406 Optometrist $100.00
03/04/2008 Michael T Rose 409 Central Ave
Summerville, SC 29483 Attorney $10,000.00
Total $12,746.91
Home | SC State Ethics Commission | Contact SC.GOV | Policies | Accessibility | Contact SC.GOV Copyright © 2007 State of South Carolina
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 6:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Visit honors sheriff
We are proud residents of Dorchester County and are honored that 12 police chiefs from Romania chose the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office as one of their four stops in the United States. Regardless of whether high-ranking law enforcement officials are foreign or domestic, they bring high honor to Sheriff Ray Nash and his department when they visit and study techniques and training.
Certainly, the chiefs wanted to visit a law enforcement agency that has a proven track record in preventing and solving of crimes.
According to recent FBI statistics, Dorchester County has 20 percent less violent crime than its two neighboring counties in the Lowcountry. Sheriff Ray Nash's department has a 92 percent rate for solving homicides. (The city of Charleston just announced that it was reopening 50 unsolved homicides.)
This is not only a tribute to Sheriff Nash and his well-trained and disciplined staff but to the Summerville Police Department and other municipal police departments in Dorchester County. Kudos also should go to the many Crime Watch groups in the communities, as well as the general population for their keen interest in and support for good law enforcement agencies.
We have notified Sheriff Nash that we would be happy to underwrite the cost of a luncheon for these distinguished visitors to eliminate any criticism or concern about the expenditure.
MYRON JOHNSON
Shaftesbury Lane
Summerville
JIM EMERY
High Bridge Road
Summerville
No.22,2007 Letter to the editor
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 6:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ron Turner, a Summerville real estate agent and mortgage broker who has been active in Nash's campaign, describes the sheriff as "a great cop" and "a man of great integrity." He says Nash's critics are just blowing matters out of proportion to gain political advantage.
"Anywhere you go and do a forensic audit, you're going to turn up crap," he says. "You have less than honest people all around you."
Nash Legacy One of Controversy,and gains feb 3,2008 P&C by Glenn Smith P&C
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 6:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
http://www.journalscene.com/news/0507NEb...
Mr Boatwright(nash II) you have been actively going around with Ray Nash to Numerous Functions asking for Support. How can you say Otherwise?
I See The word Authority Again.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 6:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
http://truffulaseed.ccpblogs.com/2007/07...
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 6:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/gyrob...
Do we Need this in Dorchester County?
Posted by equaltime on May 7, 2008 at 7 a.m. (Suggest removal)
this is the same old stuff... yes he was arrested... yes he requested a Magistrate come bond out EVERYONE in the jail, which is legal and has been done many times, but not this time!.. and YES he sat in Jail all night just like everyone else... and YES Ray Nash did quickly release the tapes and ...
yes Ray Nash's right hand man orchestrated this questionable stop and denied a man his constitutional rights... THe Deputy is the only one who sounds DRUNK on the Video... yes Randy Scott was the one who got Ray Nash to quit stealing Tax payer funds when Randy was chairman of the County council and ...
yes Randy Scott was the man who got to the bottom of Ray Nash's Illegal practice of stealing money from people Accused of a crime which led to the uncovering of over $360,000 of missing money from the Sherriff's office. (no Mr. Pastor did not take it all)
Would Ray Nash have an Axe to grind with Senator Scott.... How could he get even with the senator.... trump up some charges and get some yes men to carry it out....
Also to make it better for Nash.. have his Bumbling Buffons act naturally and give so many reasons to have this thrown out prior to trial so he can get his buddies to say... See Randy is a good old Boy... got out of a DUI...
Nash is smarter than I even gave him credit for! Who benefits... the most hated Man in Dorchester County... Mike Rose!!!!
Posted by moonpie on May 7, 2008 at 7:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes I believe it was a set up from the word go.
AND
Please someone block Chrispia from commenting anymore on Dorchester county sheriffs articles or stories!
Posted by Early on May 7, 2008 at 7:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ChrisPia chill the f-out dude.
I agree with Chris, I don't give a hoot about these two, yet I can see from 10,000 feet that Nash is trying to trash Scott. Nash seems to have a lot of corruption around him. Is that the best Dorchester County has to offer. If so, pathetic!
Posted by bfrank2 on May 7, 2008 at 7:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Smoking gun? Not the damning evidence I expected. It appears to be a series of calls from a distraught man who feels that he was incarcerated unjustly. He had to know the calls were recorded, the question is-Did he have reasonable expectation that they would be released? This produces more questions for me. Has the Sheriff's office ever released information this quickly? Have magistrates ever come in so early in the morning to do bond hearings? Would it upset the public if the Mayor had been in a similar situation and had asked for an earlier hearing? Would he have gotten it? This individual didn't. It seems as if his political position has been a handicap in this case. Why? I worry more about the high and mighty than I do about those who show their human frailty. I do have some questions about Mr. Rose. He touts his record but I haven't seen much success in it. He says that Mr. Scott voted wrong on at least two votes but so did every other Senator. Are they all idiots? What's the odds of that. I believe that there is more to this. I hope we find out more in the next few weeks.
Posted by jenny on May 7, 2008 at 8 a.m. (Suggest removal)
His lack of reason, lack of vocabulary, inability to articulate, he is a fool. It is embarrassing that this man is a government official. Come on SC, we don't have to vote for Bo's second cousin anymore, we can make educated choices.
Posted by equaltime on May 7, 2008 at 8:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Jenny.. we had Mike Rose for 9 years.. he was so bad we voted in Bill Branton.... He was the "Most Hated" Senator and the majority of Dorchester County can not stand him.. hence his ability to only raise over $2,000 for his campaign... most of it In-Kind contributions!!
Rose could not win this election even if he was running UNOPPOSED!!!!
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 8:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Published Tuesday, May 06, 2008 3:15 PM
Updated Tuesday, May 06, 2008 3:15 PM
Boatwright: ‘Man of integrity’
Dear Editor,
I read with interest Mr. Pia’s letter to the editor in your last publication His letter not only reflected negatively on Mr. Boatwright; but, also on the City of Folly Beach because Chief Boatwright is employed as the City’s Director of Public Safety.
Chief Boatwright’s employment, despite what Mr. Pia says, has been a very positive experience for the City of Folly Beach.
I reviewed many resumes before I hired Chief Boatwright and can unequivocally state that he has one of the most extensive law enforcement backgrounds I have seen. He came highly recommended. Chief Boatwright has been with the City of Folly Beach for almost two years and I can say without qualification that not only is he an excellent manager; but, an outstanding law enforcement officer and leader who is in constant pursuit of excellence in his every endeavor. Chief Boatwright is a man of integrity and high moral standards and those qualities are manifested daily in every activity he undertakes. He believes strongly that public safety I a community is priority and nothing should interfere with it or with justice being honestly and fairly dispensed. Chief Boatwright doesn’t just pay lip service to the law; he lives the spirit and intent of it in his personal life, as well as, his law enforcement profession. In every aspect of his duties, Chief Boatwright has done an outstanding job for the City of Folly Beach. I wish him every success in his race for sheriff even though a win for Dorchester County would mean a loss for the City of Folly Beach.
Sincerely,
Carl B. Beckmann, Jr.
Mayor
Folly Beach
Summerville Journal Todays articte to Editor
Posted by RTC on May 7, 2008 at 8:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
His wife sure does sound calm on the phone.
If I got a call like that I would go to pieces.
Is she used to these types of calls, or does she just have nerves of steel?
I don't know what to make of this situation.
People comment on the way Sen. Scott talks. He just sounds like every other geechie in the tricounty area.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 8:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Romanian officers learn community policing on Folly
By Jenny Peterson (Contact)
The Journal
Thursday, November 15, 2007
On an otherwise quiet Thursday afternoon, the Folly Beach Public Safety Department hosted about 20 Romanian police officers, chiefs and commissioners to learn about "community policing."
Police in the Eastern European nation are trying to improve relations with the Romanian people, who still distrust them 17 years after the fall of communism, officers said.
So, several officers and chiefs came to the United States to speak with police officers to see how things are run here, and specifically how the police force works hand in hand with the community.
Why America?
Jenny Peterson/The Post and Courier
Police officers from Romania who are in the United States to learn more about community policing take a break on Folly Beach.
On an otherwise quiet Thursday afternoon, the Folly Beach Public Safety Department hosted about 20 Romanian police officers, chiefs and commissioners to learn about "community policing."
Police in the Eastern European nation are trying to improve relations with the Romanian people, who still distrust them 17 years after the fall of communism, officers said.
So, several officers and chiefs came to the United States to speak with police officers to see how things are run here, and specifically how the police force works hand in hand with the community.
Why America?
"Nowhere else in the world are police so loved," said Marin Amuraritei, a Romanian deputy director of criminal investigation, who speaks English. "We are not close with the community, but we're served by the community, paid by the community and we really want see how to build that relationship with the community using this (American) model."
Their American contact here was Dorchester County Sheriff Ray Nash, who met a member of the Romanian delegation when he spoke at a conference last year about policing. Nash was invited to Romania to speak about community policing, an invitation he accepted.
To get firsthand experience, the Romanians came to visit Nash and see Dorchester County, one of several stops in their weeklong trip to America. Nash, an honorary Romanian police officer, asked the Folly Beach Public Safety Department to co-host the Romanians and teach them about how they do community policing.
Folly Beach hosted lunch for the officers with Frogmore Stew, took them out to the beach and to shops on Center Street. Many had never seen the Atlantic Ocean before.
Other cities on the Romanians' tour included Chicago; Lexington, Ky.; and King's Mountain, N.C.
These are excerts of the article
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/apr/...
DCSO Report on the Stop.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 8:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I Think The jail fund Could have been used to fix running water in the cell.He asked for water Because He was a diabetic in the phone call......I don't think he wanted the Kool aid
Posted by Early on May 7, 2008 at 8:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Good one raregar!
Posted by equaltime on May 7, 2008 at 8:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Raregar.... Chris Pia is just passionate about his beliefs but Thomas1776 is just an idiot!!!! Their records speak for themselves!
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 8:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
equaltime...Let um vent! These were the same people that said these tapes were damning and had to be released.
How Much money was fleeced fromthe inmates calls? 2and a half minutes before you can talk on every phone call..
NC Heat...Were you one of the Police Chiefs from North Carolina that hosted the Romanian police chiefs also along with Ray Nash and (NashII)Terry Boatwright.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 8:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
http://www.scocr.org/Photos02/07-25Hunle...
Take a look at the photos of Commander Boatwright
Posted by ColdBeer on May 7, 2008 at 9 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm going to Darlington Saturday :)
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 9:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hate in the Ranks
A list of hate group members in the Sons of Confederate Veterans
The following is a list of current SCV officials at the national, regional (or Army), and state levels who also are (or have been recently) members or representatives of groups listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as hate groups.
Membership in these hate groups — the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), the League of the South (LOS), and Free Mississippi (FM) — is determined from the hate groups' publications, their Web sites and media reports.
In the list below, each person’s name is followed by his position in the SCV and, in parentheses, his hate group affiliation.
Not listed are a large number of SCV officials who have spoken at meetings of hate groups or worked alongside their members.
SCV executive council member Kirk Lyons, a well-known white supremacist who is currently running for an even higher SCV office, is not listed because he has publicly denied being a current member of any hate group.
National Leadership
Executive Council
Charles McMichael, Chief of Staff (FM)
John Weaver, Chaplain-in-Chief (CCC)
General Staff
Charles Kelly Barrow, Historian-in-Chief (LOS)
John Killian, Aide-de-Camp (national director, CCC)
Charles McMichael, Chief of Staff (FM)
John Weaver, Chaplain in Chief (CCC)
National Committeemen
Charles Kelly Barrow, Historical, Bonnie Blue Society (LOS)
Edward Cailleteau, Time and Place (secretary of Louisiana state chapter, CCC)
Ron Casteel, Organ Transplant, Promotional Affairs, Public Affairs (chairman of Missouri state chapter, LOS)
Dave Holcombe, Monuments (FM)
Charles McMichael, International Headquarters (FM)
Charles Rand, Recruiting/Retention (LOS, FM)
William Shofner, Constitutional Review (LOS)
John Weaver, National Relief (CCC)
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Although the 31,400-member SCV has always billed itself as a "non-political" and "non-racial" heritage organization devoted merely to preserving the legacy of Confederate soldiers, SCV leaders have long been tied to segregation and white supremacy.
Beginning in the mid-1980s, the SCV did make a decade-long push to rid itself of open racism and bigotry. But by 1996, after a prominent neo-secessionist resigned from the SCV's ruling executive board in protest of this new moderation, the door to extremism had been pushed open once again.
"There is a struggle underway," as one "pro-South" white supremacist group put it at the time, "for the heart and soul of the SCV."
Since then, spurred on by battles in several states over the display of the Confederate battle flag on public buildings, the white supremacist faction within SCV has grown both more powerful and more visible.
Far from being apolitical, scores of SCV members have taken increasingly public and controversial stands on an array of racially charged issues, reflecting an unprecedented level of activism within the 106-year-old organization.
In what may be the clearest sign yet of this extremist drift, an analysis by the Intelligence Report finds that a significant number of SCV officials — including at least 10 men who hold key national leadership positions — are also active or recent members of hate groups, principally two neo-Confederate groups, the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) and the League of the South.
Posted by reality_woman on May 7, 2008 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Certinaly Mr. Scott does not show an abundabce of education in his vocabulary, but that doesn't make him stupid, nor a drunk. I agree that the ability to make that many calls and not sleep, could show he was not drunk.
Diabetics always have excessive thirst. My mother was diabetic and she would have to keep a glass of water at her bedside due to dry mouth. Medications could also cause an excessive dry mouth, taking all this in to consideration, I think he may have been set up. Politics are a dirty business.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 9:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Together, the CCC (see "Sharks in the Mainstream," Winter 1999 issue, Intelligence Report) and the League (see "A League of Their Own," Summer 2000 issue, Intelligence Report) boast more than 25,000 members.
For activists in these racist groups, the even larger SCV — an organization that counts at least two influential U.S. senators among its members — makes a tempting prize.
The Heritage Coalition Strategy
The grainy video frames, now almost two years old, are somewhat cryptic. At length, the speaker describes "heritage coalitions" as a new way for SCV members to cooperate with other neo-Confederate groups in fighting so-called "heritage violations" — acts like taking down the Confederate battle flag.
For those on the outside, such coalitions may seem like harmless anomalies. But the speaker was none other than white supremacist attorney Kirk Lyons, one-time member of the neo-Nazi National Alliance and current darling of neo-Confederate extremists (see profile, "In the Lyons Den," Summer 2000 issue, Intelligence Report).
Standing next to David Duke, Lyons was addressing a gathering of the neofascist American Friends of the British National Party that included many of America's leading far-right activists.
His point was a lawyerly one. Members of the SCV are constitutionally prohibited from working with hate groups, but only in their capacity as SCV members.
In their personal lives — or, as Lyons put it, as mere "John Q. Publics" working within the autonomous heritage coalitions — they can do as they like.
These coalitions, which function today in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas, offered a loophole that was already being used by hundreds of SCV members to work with racist activists from hate groups including the League of the South, the CCC and several others.
Lyons described the ongoing battle within the SCV, saying he had spent most of his 22 years of membership "cursing the organization ... for [its] spinelessness and cowardice."
He mocked the "granny" faction that "hide[s] in their shirts at the mention of the R-word [racism]." He talked about how a group of "unreconstructed Southerners" or "white trash," including himself, had helped to move the SCV increasingly toward a white "nationalist perspective."
And he alluded to a January 2000 pro-Confederate flag rally in Columbia, S.C., where SCV officials worked openly with CCC and League members.
"The civil rights movement I am trying to form seeks a revolution," Lyons told his extremist colleagues that day. "We seek a return to a godly society with no Northernisms attached to it — a majority European-derived society."
Four months after the video was shot, Kirk Lyons, a man who was married by a neo-Nazi "reverend" on the grounds of the nation's most infamous hate group compound, was elected to the SCV's executive council.
The civil war was under way.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 9:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelrepo...
Up above was exerpts from this article This was one of many intelligance reports on SCV.
Posted by notafan on May 7, 2008 at 9:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Does anyone wonder why Chris Pia was terminated from the Dorchester County jail. He clearly has a agenda and issues. Keep it up Chris I need the laughs!! Please seek professional help soon..
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 9:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Nash, who has been in the spotlight since an ongoing audit disclosed missing money from a jail fund last fall, said the audit was a factor in his decision to retire but he would not have retired if Boatwright had not entered the race.
Nash and Boatwright have been friends for years. Nash said he feels comfortable passing the baton to Boatwright because "I know he's a man of character, and I know that he holds to the principles of character very, very highly," Nash said in an interview Tuesday.
Boatwright has filled various law-enforcement positions for more than 30 years and started with Folly Beach last year.
Boatwright and Nash said they were friends when both ran for sheriff in 1996. Boatwright endorsed Nash after being eliminated from a four-way race.
Boatwright knew Nash was not going to run for re-election this time when Boatwright announced he was a candidate last week, they both said.
Nash teaches his Police Dynamics character-training seminars around the world, and they are mandatory for his deputies. He attributes the county's relatively low crime rate to his emphasis on character. He said he did not talk to Boatwright about continuing the program.
"He's in favor of promoting good character and maintaining high standards, but whether he will do it in the way in which we have done it, that's going be up to him, and we have not even had a conversation along those lines," Nash said.
Boatwright was host at Folly Beach City Hall to a group of Romanian police chiefs Nash invited to Charleston in November for activities that included a Police Dynamics seminar. Boatwright said he sat through one of the seminars about 10 years ago. Other than that, he said he's not all that familiar with Nash's classes and has no plans to continue them if elected.
"I'm a strong proponent of good character," Boatwright said. "I certainly believe in integrity, but I don't know that I'll (promote it in that format)."
Sheriff Hopefull,Nash Longtime Pals Post and Courier Dave Munday Jan 31, 2008
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 9:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Notafan .. You Know why I was fired 1) I was honest about the facts 2) I had an L.C. Knight Bumper sticker on My car 3) I Questioned authority for the safety of the Officers.
Probably the same reasons that all the others were fired: Politics
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 9:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You Still can't refute the facts presented except to calling names.
Posted by ColdBeer on May 7, 2008 at 9:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So... I wonder if Chris is going to log on and comment on this article....
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 9:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The federal Government should come in and take over Day to day operations of the DCSO to stop these things from Happening to it's Citizens. It's a Disgrace.
Posted by UrGatorbait on May 7, 2008 at 9:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Chris is apparently a fan of big gubmint.
Citing Folly Beach? Amazing the original edge of America and reality to include the cops.
Posted by localboy on May 7, 2008 at 9:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Pia you are likely certifiable! And NYPD is likely better off without you! our comments about "drunk" show that you really don't 1. know the law 2. understand the law. Anyone who believes drunk means falling down, commode hugging needs to look at what constitutes drunk. Impaired is impaired and two cup of wine may make some people impaired. Since you're so up on the minute details of Scott now divulging he has diabetes, you may explain why what most would consider a little alcohol impaired him so.
Should we believe you or the Mayor of Folly Beach - a ranting, ax-to-grind fired employee or the duly elected Mayor? That's not a tough one.
And now because Boatwright is a member of the SCV, he has another problem? Please, quoting Morris Deas Southern Poverty Law Center reports as expert testimony just won't fly. Keep up the SCV angle, maybe that will ensure Boatwright get votes he wasn't getting before.
And Mike Rose most hated? If helping female firefighters in the Town of Summerville get justice through a Justice Department investigation not a personally lead court case when sexual harassment was clearly happening makes him hated then thats a good thing. If helping to get 400+ taxpayers refunds of tax money illegally collected makes him hated I think the hate is well founded. It seems Mike has cared enough for the people to stand up and speak for the people. Scott has voted to overturn almost every single veto from the Desk of Mark Sanford - the Governor who carried Dorchester County with larger numbers than he carried the state. The Governor who has clearly stood for the taxpayer when the Senate and House has continued to fund their slush fund (competitive grants program) at the expense of school buses.
The one person who gained my respect here was Magistrate Michael Londergan, who instead of bowing to the berating of his father-in-law, upheld the rules of conduct. Tough Thanksgiving Dinner for Mike this year but he did the right thing. And to note that he did the right thing as a hold-over magistrate, as are all of Scotts appointees. All of Scotts magistrate appointees are in imminent danger of immediately losing their jobs at Scott's will (sorta like a Sheriff holds over his employees).
Posted by UrGatorbait on May 7, 2008 at 9:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well lemme see Chris i think you were fired 'cause you think, questioned authority(bad attitude) and in these parts that won't fly. The charges you levy against Mr. Boatwright being a member of white supremacist group will ruffle some feathers around here for sure. I'll have to look into those allegations. Very interesting.
Morris Dee ruffles some feathers. Interesting a potential white supremacist in office.
If was impaired by a little or a lot of alcohol he was still impaired.
Chris you were fired because you probably couldn't keep your yap shut is my guess.
Posted by bkeelin on May 7, 2008 at 10:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Has everyone forgotten that Nash was accused of all this before he released the tapes and after he released the tapes a lot of that went away, except from Chris Pia of course. The tapes were released after consulting with the attorney and it showed the riduculous accusations of those who hate Nash were not justified. The tapes were released to squelch the rumors of a set up. Anyone with a neutral perspective would have done the same thing the officers that night did and they would have also released the tapes to vindicate themselves and the officers of any wrong doing.
Posted by notafan on May 7, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I just hope LC Knight is paying Chris Pia fairly well.
You notice that in all of Pia's popsts he never mentions why Knight should be sheriff. He can only bash Nash. I wonder why that is? Could it be that he is only voting for Knight because he is not Nash...
Posted by UrGatorbait on May 7, 2008 at 10:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Chris thank you for those links and organizations. Some very interesting reading on Mr. Boatwright. You've really rustled the feathers. Nice find whether you are are politically motivated or not.
Posted by forget on May 7, 2008 at 10:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If I was as disrespectful to my superiors at my job as ChrisPia was apparently to his I would have as much time as he does to post verrrry long rantings. I give my young stepson this advise, shut up and do your job. You don't need to have an opinion about everything and everyone doesn't need to hear it. If you shut up long enough you just might learn something you didn't know but thought you did.
Posted by JohnS on May 7, 2008 at 10:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think it's pretty low down a phone call from a jail cell to a man's wife was released to the public. Nash has been in office for years and this is the first time I have heard of such a thing.
Put yourself in Mr.Scott's shoes and see how you would feel if this was you.
Posted by CountryGirl on May 7, 2008 at 10:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I wish I was going to Darlington too. Not too crazy about seeing all those toothless rednecks without shirts though.
I just love the rush from the crowd.
ChrisPia could use a break too.
Posted by Early on May 7, 2008 at 10:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ColdBeer, drink a "Cold Beer" for me at Darlington.
You going to call a winner today?
Take binoculars, not for the race cars,,,
Posted by localboy on May 7, 2008 at 10:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Squeeze into the Thunderbird for fried chicken while you're at it!
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 10:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
localBoy. Mr Scott Blew a 0-0-0. Not drunk. He spoke without slurring in all aspects of the Videotaping,Recording of Him.He was angry But Not Drunk. He dialed the Phone system with instructing form another...Not drunk..He failed to walk heal to heal..Not Drunk but Disabled.. a clear setup.. Who made the phone call to Stop the car..
I have been placingarticles and factsabout Ray Nash since I was terminated. Insubordination was the reason I was fired according to Ray Nash and his Hierarchy. But We all know the real reason. I was never insubordinate .I just said I will not reveal my source 3 times for fear that they would be retaliated against.(I know my fears are real now). Ray Nash and his clones didn't like that I questioned Missing locks on cell doors,Inadequate lighting conditions,Lack of equiptment for officers to defend themselves,Lack of Manpower, and then MRSA(which the officers were neer notified of being in the facility.. If you considerate that insubordinate. than I guess you are right....But If you are referrring to the info I have printed after that. I am No longer under Ray Nash's Authority without question Chain Of Command..The allegation of Me Getting Paid for this is a total lie and if you don't recant that i will take you to court.
Posted by ColdBeer on May 7, 2008 at 10:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Early, I've always been a Hendrick Team fan. I was never a big Jr. fan, but this year, I've been pulling for him (somewhat) because he's now on the Hendrick team. After watching last week's race and seeing how close he came to winning after such a long drought, I'll be pulling for him at Darlington. I think he now officially qualifies as the "underdog" and I like to route for the underdog. It'd also be an awesome sight to see... the Jr. Nation going wild after a 2 year winless streak. I didn't go so far as to buy a Jr. t-shirt though.... I just bought a Nascasr Chevy Team Racing t-shirt instead.
CountryGirl, I have all of my teeth and I generally keep my shirt on (unless I'm out on the boat). :)
I always take my binoculars :)
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 11:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Posted by notafan on May 7, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I just hope LC Knight is paying Chris Pia fairly well.
You notice that in all of Pia's popsts he never mentions why Knight should be sheriff. He can only bash Nash. I wonder why that is? Could it be that he is only voting for Knight because he is not Nash...
Notafan I wil be petitioning The Post and Courier For Your Real Name. I will also be contacting My attorney
Posted by bigwhip on May 7, 2008 at 11:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So Randy Scott made several mistakes and now faces the consequences, one of which should be losing his senate seat. Strange but I think these public transgressions are not sufficient for removal thanks to our self serving Columbia pols. On the other hand, why do we let the media continue to rake over the coals someone who is dying from self inflicted wounds? The only way for this to be handled by Scott is immediate resignation and a sincere public apology. He has let many down.
On calling for a bond hearing; an illegal move as our State Attorney General, AKA "hit and run", has decreed. If an authority can hold a bond hearing for a detainee, that authority must hold a bond hearing for all detainees at that time.
Posted by equaltime on May 7, 2008 at 11:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hate to say this so close to the debacle at the Kentucky Derby... but we have about beaten this Dead Horse as much as we can...
Final Analysis... Randy Supporters will not be swayed by any of this (in fact they are re-dedicated to the election) and mike rose people will not vote for Randy even if secret tapes of Rose and Nash planning this Apparent Set-up were posted on this site.
True some undecided will be swayed... but others will believe it a set up by Nash to cover up his own problems. I believe it will be a wash.
One month and 3 days and it will all be over... until next time!
Keep the Facts coming Chris!!!!!
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 11:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ex-judge charged with attempted murder for hire
Published on 07/11/95
BY RICHARD GREEN Jr.
The Post and Courier
Former Dorchester County probate judge Shelton J. Parker was charged in federal prison Monday with trying to hire someone to kill state Sen. Mike Rose and a witness who helped put Parker behind bars for mail fraud.
Rose and Ronnie F. Judy were never in danger because the "hit man" was an FBI agent wearing a recording device, investigators said.
Parker allegedly wanted Rose killed because he believed Rose had helped federal agents investigate Parker to keep Parker from running against Rose in the Republican primary in 1994 for the 1st Congressional District.
Judy was a witness against Parker in the federal case that put the former judge in a federal prison in Butner, N.C., under a 27-month sentence.
The two were only the first of a number of people Parker allegedly wanted killed, but officials wouldn't say who the others were. None knew they were targets before Monday.
Barry Smith, senior FBI agent in Charleston, said all the potential targets "have been or are in the process of being informed." However, Rose reportedly was traveling out of state Monday, and Smith wouldn't confirm if Rose had been told.
Two agents found Judy getting his tractor ready to cultivate soybeans about 13 miles from his home Monday afternoon. They told him Parker was recorded saying he "wanted someone to kill Ronnie Judy and Mike Rose because we were the top two who put him in prison," Judy said.
"We didn't put him in prison. He put himself in prison, and he might as well acknowledge that."
"This man cannot be broke if he's hiring people to kill other people. I would not put it past him" to try it again, Judy said.
Parker came under state and federal investigation 1992 for taking more than $500,000 from people he dealt with through the Dorchester County Probate Court. He later declared bankruptcy, leaving a long line of victims and creditors.
Parker pleaded guilty to a federal mail fraud charge for using his office to cheat an 82-year-old Summerville woman out of $320,333. He also pleaded guilty to state charges of taking $180,000 from two other women.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 11:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Parker's federal sentence required that he get mental health counseling in prison. He had called his victim in the federal case and, pretending to be someone else, told her that Parker and committed suicide. He was under psychiatric care and on anti-depressant medication at the time.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Hubbell said he did not know what type of care Parker might have been getting in prison, but that mental health services are available at Butner.
The events leading up to Parker's arrest are laid out in an affidavit by FBI agent Chris Quick that was filed with the warrant charging Parker with two counts of attempted murder for hire and retaliation against a witness:
One of Parker's fellow inmates contacted the FBI in January after Parker allegedly talked to him about killing various people in Dorchester County.
The "cooperating witness" is referred to only as "CW." Federal authorities refused to name him or say why he was behind bars, but he worked with agents, providing information and recording some of his conversations with Parker.
In June, an FBI agent posed as a hit man named "Billy" and met with CW twice at the prison. After the first meeting, CW recorded a conversation with Parker in which Parker named Rose and Judy as the first two targets.
Parker was told that Billy wanted $15,000 up front to kill the men. A few days later, Parker told CW to tell Billy he'd rather wait until he got out of prison - possibly as soon as August - so he could show Billy where the men lived.
At Parker's suggestion, he met with Billy on June 30, and the conversation was recorded. Parker again named Rose and Judy as the people he wanted to be the first two victims.
When asked if shooting was a satisfactory way to kill them, Parker reportedly responded, "Hell, yes."
Hubbell said Parker is scheduled to be brought to Charleston for a hearing on the charges next month. Each count has a maximum 20-year penalty.
Chris Sosnowski of The Post and Courier contributed to this story.
Posted by equaltime on May 7, 2008 at 11:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)
OK BigWHIMP, or shall I say Mr. Rose.... Give me a break.. that sounds exactlty like your comment the morning after the Arrest.... He has let nobody down.. these are very weak allegations and will probably never make it to trial...
Why not ask for Nash's resignation... he has accounted for over $360,000 of public money stolen... They can only trace a small amount of that to Pastor.... Wonder where the rest of this money went.... Mr. nash is the One who owes the Public an apology and a RESIGNATION!....
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 11:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sen. Rose, Miles' wife profit in phone network PYRAMID PLAN: Excel Telecommunications sales agents recruit people,offering discount phone rates. The new recruits pay a $195 fee to join, and they in turn recruit people, and so on.
Published on 08/05/95
BY ARLIE PORTER and JIM PARKER
The Post and Courier
Excel Telecommunications, a pyramid money-making plan spreading rapidly across the state, could make millionaires out of two people who promote it: state Sen. Mike Rose and Betty Miles, the wife of Secretary of State Jim Miles.
Brought to the state by a University of South Carolina basketball coach, promoted by Mrs. Miles, and spread by lawmakers and their built-in networks, Excel now reaches almost every county.
As much as one-third of the state's senators also have joined
the long-distance telephone service.
For Rose, R-Summerville, the business has become so lucrative that he no longer practices law. He travels around the country speaking at Excel recruitment training seminars.
"Rose is going to become a millionaire off of it. I'm convinced of that," said state Sen. Ernie Passailaigue, D-Charleston, who is among nearly a dozen other lawmakers Rose recruited.
Even more successful than Rose, however, is Mrs. Miles. She was recruited by Steve Newton, the former University of South Carolina basketball coach, who was her neighbor. Newton brought the service from Kentucky, where it was spread among college and high school coaches.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 11:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Rose said Excel has changed his life. He was $200,000 in debt from an unsuccessful run for Congress. He faced the daily pressures and stress of running a law practice when a friend of his wife's recruited him to Excel.
That was 10 months ago. Last month he made more than $8,500, and people drive hundreds of miles to hear him speak around the country, Rose said.
"I feel it to be very rewarding personally as well as financially," he said in a telephone interview from Buffalo, N.Y., where he was conducting a seminar. "My wife says it's a gift from God."
Rose said he has recruited more than 400 people, including more than two dozen accountants, doctors, lawyers, seven state senators, school teachers, "and ordinary everyday people."
Among his recruits are Passailaigue; Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston; Sen. McKinley Washington, D-Charleston; Sen. Glen Reese, D-Spartanburg; Rep. Bill Mescher, R-Pinopolis; and Rep. Lynn Seithel, R-Charleston.
McConnell and Passailaigue said they've broken even with the service but were too busy to recruit people.
"It is an exciting opportunity but it's like any opportunity: You're not going to get rich or anything unless you work and work and work at it," McConnell said.
According to state regulators, Excel is one of more than 100 inter-exchange companies that buy long-distance time from the major suppliers and resell it to individuals and businesses.
The companies typically buy time in bulk at a reduced price, then resell it at a slightly higher rate to make a profit, said Gary E. Walsh, deputy executive director of the S.C. Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities.
What distances Excel is its multi-level marketing technique, Walsh said. The sales people are unabashed about who they solicit.
"I've been approached by friends of mine, even though they know where I work," he said.
Walsh said he gets more inquiries about Excel than any other long-distance service, from reporters and customers.
"Basically, I've been getting calls from individuals about becoming an Excel partner and whether it's legitimate," he said. "I tell them basically, from a PSC standpoint, they are certificated long-distance carriers in the state of South Carolina."
Walsh added that personally, "I would look hard at laying out those kinds of dollars" - the $195 to buy supplies and tapes. "The state of South Carolina is pretty well saturated."
Posted by QueenB on May 7, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It amazes me how some people can defend the behavior of Randy Scott. If it doesn't "sound like the same Randy Scott I know" as some of his supporters have stated, maybe it's because he was DUI! People tend to act different when they’ve had a few. This shows a belligerent, hot-headed, good ole boy that got caught. He threw LC Knight under the bus with himself by telling the officer that he would not have a job next year (IF) when LC is elected. If that's not abuse of power then I don't know what is. I wonder if Mr. Knight is campaigning for him now.
I have more sympathy for his wife than him! She was in bed asleep where she was supposed to be, as she stated.
You can have a BAC of 0.001 with simply the foods you eat; you certainly do not blow a 0.000 after having the infamous "two drinks" that is claimed. Had he correctly blown into the machine we would be able to know his BAC, now it is simply speculation.
There are 2 people who deserve proper credit for "doing the right thing" in this case; Michael Londergan and Randy Botten. Randy Botten is up for AMW's "officer of the year"; not because he bows under pressure, but because HE DOES the job that the citizens of Dorchester County hired him to do. I met him when he was a patrolman, and was very impressed with his character. Randy Botten & Michael Londergan should receive the proper recognition for a job well done, regardless of the threat of consequences. How dare an elected official threaten an officer of the law for upholding the law? That is disgusting behavior of an individual, let alone an elected official.
Chris Pia has made this his own political home page. Is he "politicking" to get his job back? He obviously has an axe to grind. Stop crying....and GET A JOB!
Posted by forget on May 7, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Notafan - he's calling his attorney......
oh please....and ChrisPia- that equates to a child going to tell his mommy.
Posted by localboy on May 7, 2008 at 11:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/feb/...
Posted by OldSalt on May 7, 2008 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey CountryGirl,
I'm going to Darlington, too. I'm hoping to get an autograph from my favorite professional athlete, golfer John Daly.
Wish me luck!
Posted by localboy on May 7, 2008 at 11:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What an amazing web Sheriff Nash has woven. If CP is correct and the PC article is clear then Nash's chain of influence reaches not only the state of SC and DHEC but all the way to Washington, DC and the ever feared OSHA.
We better stock up on the tin foil hats because with this power I'm certain Nash can read our thoughts. And I'm certain he can tell CP exactly who notafan is because he has to be controlling the internet as well. Geeesh!!
Someone please give the man a job!
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 11:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Former senator, ex-campaign foe in feud over tag PLATE DEBATE: Mary Pearson, a former campaign manager for MikeRose's GOP primary opponent, and Rose are duking it out over a Senate license tag on Rose's car.
Published on 03/25/98
BY BOBBIE YOUNG
The Post and Courier
SUMMERVILLE - Bill Branton's former campaign manager says Mike Rose broke the law - driving with an improper license plate. He says she performed an act of "political terrorism" - trespassing.
Mary Pearson said Rose still had his state Senate plate on his car because "he can't accept the fact that he is no longer a senator."
"It's one thing to lose a poker game," Rose said. "It's something else when you find out it was a crooked poker game. That's right, I don't accept it."
Bobbie Young covers Dorchester County government and politics. Contact her at 745-5861 or byoung@postandcourier.com.
Excerpts from article
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 11:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Council pushed over Bailey roles
Published on 06/26/98
BY BOBBIE YOUNG
The Post and Courier
SUMMERVILLE - The question of Tom Bailey's service on both the Summerville Town Council and the Dorchester County Transportation Committee appears headed for a judge.
Former state Sen. Mike Rose has asked Dorchester County Council to seek a judgment on whether Bailey's service on both bodies is dual office-holding, which would violate the state constitution.
He said if council does not "do its duty to resolve this issue," he will personally sue to get a declaratory judgment.
Each councilman takes an oath to "preserve and protect and defend the Constitution of this State and of the United States."
Council Chairman Richard Rosebrock said this week he will offer a motion to seek the judgment, and at least three other council members say they will go along with him. That would bring a majority vote.
Bailey has refused to step down from either office, saying he would serve unless ordered to stop by a judge. On Wednesday, he said that was still his position and called Rose cowardly.
Rose, on Thursday, said Bailey's comment illustrates the differences between the two men.
"I'm dealing with an issue of right and wrong, whether he is violating the state constitution, while he is calling me names," Rose said.
"Mr. Bailey's arrogant contempt for the law is a dishonorable breach of official duty and a disgrace to his office. His behavior is contemptuous. He owes me an apology for attacking me personally," Rose said.
Excerpts
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 12:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Some lawmakers still collecting county checks
Published on 03/24/96
BY ARLIE PORTER
The P&C
At least 30 state lawmakers receive thousands of dollars a year from county taxpayers - despite an 18-year-old attorney general's ruling calling the payments illegal.
But the difference is accountability: Charleston's money pays office bills and clerical wages. The money from Berkeley, Dorchester and other counties that make direct expense payments goes out as a personal check to the lawmaker - with no strings attached.
The answer can be found in the mid-1970s, when state lawmakers passed the Home Rule Act, a law giving counties broad new powers. The law also required counties to set up offices for their legislator.
South Carolina's part-time legislators receive an annual state salary of $10,400 and $12,000 a year for expenses. They are reimbursed for mileage, draw from state accounts for telephone use and postage and receive $83 a day for room and board during the five-month legislative session in Columbia. For many lawmakers, it adds up to an annual compensation package worth more than $30,000.
Land and other legislators say they can't fully account for how the money is spent, and some wonder if legislators simply consider it pocket money.
"In most cases it probably is," said State Rep. Harry Hallman, R-Mount Pleasant, who is retiring this year.
County officials complain about the expense of providing help for their legislative delegations, but those that cut direct checks to legislators are quiet.
Perhaps that's because counties view the money as a way to influence their legislators, said Hallman.
"If a fellow is getting several thousand dollars from his county, I'm certain it would have the potential to have influence on him," he said.
But some legislators who receive county expense checks said the $12,000 a year in state expense money isn't enough.
"I am overwhelmed with the calls that I have to return. My car phone bill is more than $6,000 a year," said State. Sen. Mike Rose, R-Summerville, who received $3,055 from Berkeley County and $3,763 from Dorchester County last year.
Rose said he spends hours on his car phone talking about complex state issues while traveling his district, which crosses three counties.
"They call it a part-time job. I look at it as a bottomless pit of problems that take virtually full time," Rose said.
Posted by ldd1 on May 7, 2008 at 12:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Here we go again,too many postings from Chris Pia that have no relationship to the current news article.Please Chris,get a life.
equal,Ray Nash has not tried to trash Randy Scott.It seems that Randy has done a good job of doing that to himself.Anyone knows that a person that is diabetic should not have any booz in their system.That gives us the the right to question Scotts ability to make good sound decisions.I think Scotts'wife is correct,she knows that he is going down,down,down.
Another thought,did Ray Nash make Randy drink and drive?I don't think so.Only Randy Scott is responsible for his wrong doings.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 12:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Two glasses of wine at a church function five hours in the past.How long does it take for that to leave your system. Being that you are so educated on DUI.
Why would Ray Nash release the tapes? Still can't refute the facts.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 12:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The oxidation of alcohol produces calories. One ounce of pure alcohol contains about 163 calories (or about 105 calories in a 1 1\2 ounce glass of whiskey or gin), but it does not contain vitamins or other physically beneficial nutrients. The liver can oxidize only a certain amount of alcohol each minute; the oxidation rate of alcohol in a person weighing 150 pounds, for example, is about 7 grams of alcohol per hour. This is equivalent to about 3\4 of an ounce of distilled spirits, 2 1\2 ounces of wine, or 7 3\4 to 8 ounces of beer per hour. If a person drank no more than 3\4 of an ounce of whiskey or half a bottle of beer every hour, the alcohol would never accumulate in the body, the person would feel little of the effects of the alcohol, and would not become intoxicated.
Oxidation continues until all the alcohol has left the body. Since the body can remove only a small amount of alcohol at a time, those who choose to drink are advised to drink slowly.
Posted by Early on May 7, 2008 at 12:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe the wife set him up, having an affair with Nash?
Posted by Thomas1776 on May 7, 2008 at 12:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ChrisPia,
Stop the spam or your account and all your messages will likely end up deleted along with your account.
Scott is a foolish idiot. He is NOT a man who should be representing anyone.
Posted by Thomas1776 on May 7, 2008 at 12:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think ChrisPia is going to end up being sued and having a court issue restraining Orders. I can see that coming.
Posted by mosinfan on May 7, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ChrisPia, was your article about Mr. Rose and the liscense plate from '98 or was that a typo. Does he still have the senate plate on his car now?
Posted by forget on May 7, 2008 at 12:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I may not be an authority on DUI, but I am on diabetics and diabetics that consume alcohol. He still could be impaired hours later. He also should know better. And what "mature" man just goes out driving around that time of night while his wife is at home asleep?
Posted by highclass on May 7, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's see this for what it is an attempt to discredit Scott. Nash thinks the citzens of Dorchester County are so stupid that we can't see how he attempted to set up Scott. Nash released these tapes to try to embarrass Scott. Right now Knight does not have to campaign Nash and Boatwright are doing a good job for him all by there selves.
Posted by stephansdad on May 7, 2008 at 12:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It is truly amazing reading through the comments. Listening to the Senator order his wife to have his friends and relatives get him out of the situation he caused. Even to the point of making a phone call because he wants extra treatment for a glass of water. What a pompous ass!!
Let's all look at this for what it is. A DRUNK DRIVER WAS PULLED OVER AND ARRESTED PERIOD!
By the looks at how he was trying to influence his release and directing any evidence against him, imagine if he were to run into a car carrying a family on their way home. Or how about some child walking on the side of the road.
This guy was just lucky and the most he is worried about is embarrassment?
Come on people you can do better in your picks of elected officials. Use this moment as a wakeup call and expect more out of them.
Posted by really234 on May 7, 2008 at 1:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
stephansdad- while you are speaking out against the senator, please note- HE WAS NOT DRUNK. Also, if he WAS - your point is very well taken, why the heck was he allowed to keep on driving for 45 minutes while the HONEST officers were waiting for the "call"????? (from a not so HONEST official) In those 45 minutes, had he been truly drunk, he very well could have done what you said- and in the Sheriff's haste to make sure he properly embarrassed the Senator, he put the lives of innocents at risk. Well, I am guessing he did so for two reasons: 1. He KNEW Scott was not drunk, therefore no risk to innocents and 2. He wanted to EMBARRASS him....by having video of an arrest that he knew wouldn't look good no matter what.
Posted by realityck on May 7, 2008 at 1:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
To everyone suggsting that ChrisPia stop all of his postings and get a life need to quit. As sad and pitiful as it may seem, ChrisPia's life IS posting, even when it has NOTHING to do with the story he is posting about! The strong suggestion to ChrisPia is to get ANOTHER life! And for that, everyone would be very, very thankful!!
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 1:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Stephensdad.....Why couldn't a diabetic get some water?
Were his faucets working inside the cell? Was he deliberately placed in a cell without water?Didn't Osha say they were fixed?
How Much Money did Ray NAsh Make off Of that Phone system when he did away with phone cards that were not producing enough money?
Why Release The tapes?
Why Let this man whom is supposedly drunk Drive when you had him stopped in the Bi-lo Parking Lot?
Why wait for a call?
Who Made the Call?
What was the timeframe from beginning to end of the whole incident?
Why Make a man with One leg do walking tests?
Still NO answers.
Posted by notafan on May 7, 2008 at 1:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's see I ask if Chris Pia is being paid by the Knight campaign so Chris Pia threatens me by contacting his attorney and the Post & Courier. I must have struck a nerve. Truth hurts.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 1:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
PLease Feel free to skip over my posts and not read them. That is your right.If You don't like the facts,so be it.Newcomers to this site will be able to read the facts instead of Insults and allegations from Ray Nash's Christian friends against me. You can't refute the facts so you throw insults and allegations to me....Typical
Posted by stephansdad on May 7, 2008 at 1:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
really234,
Yes you are correct, had the Senator caused himself injury or to others in that 45 minutes, the Sheriff and Deputy would be financially responsible. However, there is a breath-alyzer test on record, and a video of him taking it. Argue what you may as to how it was administered. Argue that it was a set-up. For the sake of argument I concede possibly it was. BUT!!! if the test comes back that he was over the legal levels then drunk driving it is, plain and simple. If he is just under the legal limits, it still becomes, "impaired driving" and that ain't good either.
Bottom-line, If he is found "impaired" then he needs to suffer the consequences you and I would suffer if under the same circumstances. He puts his pants on the same way you and I do, and to hear the "atmosphere" or display the "appearance" of favoritism towards his arrest should be disturbing to all voters.
Drunk driving needs to be recognized more severely as a crime than what previous comments are suggesting. Set-up or not, drunk is drunk and crime is crime.
Stop defending those who can hurt the innocent with they're pompous actions.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 1:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Notafan....You can call me names all you want but once you accuse me of a crime than I draw the line. I will open up my Bank accounts to anyone that would investigate your absurd allegation..
Posted by Smart_Enough_2_Know_Better on May 7, 2008 at 1:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just a few things about some previous posts:
1. Just because a drunk can use a phone doesn't mean he's sober. Ever heard of a functional drunk?
2. Of COURSE he repeatedly claims he was innocent. He was talking to his WIFE, who was about to put the hammer down on him. This clearly wasn't the first time she had to listen to her idiot husband try and talk his way out of a situation caused by his own stupidity.
3. Also, remember the first rule of deniability: convince YOURSELF that you're innocent. How do you that? Keeping saying that you’re innocent, over and over, to yourself and anyone that will listen.
4. He was clearly up to something. He told his wife "I was just riding around." Right. At 11:30PM a Saturday night. His attorney later released a statement that claimed he was out "to check on some of his campaign signs". Again, at 11:30PM at night?? Guess when he had some time to think about it he had a more concise (although really not that believable) story about what he was doing.
5. Don't be confused about why he was angry. He wasn't indignant that he was setup, but rather that he wasn't given the special treatment that he feels a man of his stature so clearly deserves. He firmly believed that he should have been let go, regardless of his condition, because of who he is. When that didn't happen he had a tantrum and turned this into something political.
Regardless of how drunk he was, he WAS drinking and driving, he WAS an arrogant jackass during the arrest, and he clearly has the intellect of the spanish moss growing in my yard. Please people, stop putting people like this in office.
Oh and ChrisPia, you might want to talk to your doctor about increasing your dosage. The meds don’t appear to be helping.
Posted by bushnell on May 7, 2008 at 1:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If Senator Scott was DUI then the courts will play it out. My concern comes from the fact that he demanded special treatment and implied such treatment would be given were powers that be, be different. I appreciate Chris Pia reminding me why we need Mike Rose back in the Senate. He has enough character to to stand up for those of us who can't. If Chrispia is so concerned about a 10 year old issue of a license plate then why don't you look into Annette Young's children's license plates. If requiring our public servants to abide by the law and getting pornography out of our local governments is a bad thing, then I must have something backwards. I am glad to be reminded of the corruption in Judge Parker and how Mike Rose is still willing to serve because he does care about our community. I know that if Chrispia is really concerned baout our community then he could meet with Mike Rose and between both of their efforts make sure things are run properly and legally.
This is what our country's freedom is about. We are entitled to our opinions. My opinion is that we need to make sure we send a voice to Columbia that will speak for our community and make us proud. I don't feel that we have that right now.
Posted by bushnell on May 7, 2008 at 1:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If Senator Scott was DUI then the courts will play it out. My concern comes from the fact that he demanded special treatment and implied such treatment would be given were powers that be, be different. I appreciate Chris Pia reminding me why we need Mike Rose back in the Senate. He has enough character to stand up for those of us who can't. If Chrispia is so concerned about a license plate then why don't you look into Annette Young's children's license plates. If requiring our public servants to abide by the law and getting pornography out of our local governments is a bad thing, then I must have something backwards. I am glad to be reminded of the corruption in Judge Parker and how Mike Rose is still willing to serve because he does care about our community. This is what our country's freedom is about. We are entitled to our opinions. My opinion is that we need to make sure we send a voice to Columbia that will speak for our community and make us proud. I don't feel that we have that right now.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 1:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Privacy: Other than as set forth in this Site's Privacy Statement, Evening Post may treat any submission and/or communication between you and Evening Post as non-confidential and non-proprietary. In particular, letters [to the editor], comments concerning stories, blog entries, information from sources, and similar submissions will not be considered confidential
To the editor Of The Post and Courier,
I am requesting under the freedom Of information act The Name and address Of the Person Known as "Notafan" for possible Future Litigation Purposes. I am requesting You to send this to my Email account so as to not infringe on His/her rights. This is in regards to Him/Her accusing me of violating the law in above posts. this is considered libel and slanderous and should be removed.Please feel free to Email me with any further questions.
Thank you Chris Pia
Posted by AuntBea on May 7, 2008 at 1:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Go to www.schotline.com or www.fitsnews.com to hear the entire tapes of Mr. Scott. Some of you might change your mind after hearing those. Do you hear the acceptance in his wife's voice? It's as though she was anticipating that moment at any time. BTW, the first two calls are not to his wife...
Posted by konphidence on May 7, 2008 at 1:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
i think Chrispia should be banned for 2 months. does this guy/gal have a job? the amount of blogs posted equates to a lot of down time. damn chris, chill out you are going to give yourself a nervous break down.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 1:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yeh ,konphidence that would be just till after the election,right.
Don't need no meds either and won't breakdown. I had some minor surgery this week and have an abundance of time during the day. I'm retired.
Posted by stephansdad on May 7, 2008 at 2:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If Scott was DUI, don't give the politician special treatment.
If the Sheriff did something inappropriate then that needs to be investigated and dealt with.
What disturbs me is that special treatment was expected by Scott when I listened to the phone call to his wife. I especially loved her quote, "I was in bed sleeping as I was supposed to be". WOW! How much could be read into that one.
If Scott has diabetes, then why is he drinking, even just a little? Frankly, give the guy some water, he has "dry mouth". If it is from diabetes, then let's wait for the blood alcohol test to render judgement and an investigation needs to be started on the sheriffs department regarding handling detainees with "special needs" and Scott may have a case there.
Is it just me, or do others see that our public officials are in need of supervision, whether it be a Senator, or a Sheriff? These officals need to be working for OUR best interest not their political gains. In all of this I see nothing that is advancing the progress and wishes of the citizens of South Carolina
Posted by JohnS on May 7, 2008 at 2:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Bottom line Randy Scott is likeable. He responds to your letters and phone calls as a Senator.
I think it is low down to put a man's phone call to his wife on TV. If this is the norm how come we have not heard of Nash doing this before?
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 2:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I Have Nothing Against Mike Rose I was Just pointing out in articles that every Person He runs against goes up against the same stuff.He has Nash and Boatwright supporters in his camp. I haven't heard him a peep on Ray Nash issues though.
This Was a Set Up..No doubt. I don't know if Mr rose was Involved...Only Mr Rose,Ray Nash will know..
Posted by notafan on May 7, 2008 at 2:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Chris Pia- Please tell me what crime did I accuse you of? I only asked about your motives and the possibility that you are being paid by the Knight for sheriff campaign. Is that against the law?
Posted by localboy on May 7, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
They've been asked and answered several times and while not cogent, here they are again:
Why Release The tapes? it is called the FOIA. As they were not contractual or personnel related they had to be released - the law.
Why Let this man whom is supposedly drunk Drive when you had him stopped in the Bi-lo Parking Lot?
Why wait for a call? These to are the same basically. Law enforcement uses the tapes of suspected DUI's as evidence. The cars that noted the erratic driving were not equipped by the SC DoPS with cameras and so it was necessary to call one in who ten closely followed the suspect. Same as would happen in almost any case.
Who Made the Call? Who cares? Maybe it was me?!? More folks you called law enforcement when they see something amiss.
What was the timeframe from beginning to end of the whole incident? Not certain of the relevance?
Why Make a man with One leg do walking tests? It's called a "Field Sobriety Test" and is standard practice with "real" law enforcement officers. Anyone who has ever seen Randy knows that he does an excellent job of standing and walking. That Segway requires balance to operate properly so how can a one legged man use a moving Segway if he can't stand on terra firma? I've seen him "accidently" run into Rose twice (more attempts at intimidation?) and never falter once. Most recently this past Saturday!
Your "facts" are pretty weak and wouldn't stand much scrutiny. They are based in large part on your own colored view of Sheriff Rash Nash. And the issue isn't Nash or Rose but Randy Scott. "A bit dog yelps the loudest!"
Again to the story - Randy's wife certainly didn't seem surprised in the early morning hours as if this was just another occurrence - who knows? And Mike Londergan is be congratulated for upholding the office he was appointed to at the recommendation of his father-in-law and not caving to political pressure!
Posted by silverwings on May 7, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Will someone please let Mr. Pia know that I-95 still runs north and south. He can be back in NY before we know it and will not be missed.
Mr. Scott, knowing that he was being followed by DCSO pulled into a parking lot, met another car, and waited until the initial patrol car left to answer an emergency call. When he was satisfied that the DCSO car was gone Mr. Scott left the lot not knowing that Sgt. Botten was already coming up behind him. The only calls made that night were from the initial DCSO car which did not have a camera (because the County Council will not fund them) to a supervisor (Sgt. Botten) who did have a camera. The rest is history.
If Mr. Scott was a man of character he would just apologise and get on with his life. But he isn't, he is just a bully.
Anybody want to guess who, or what, was in that other car?
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Notafan... You know I have been researching all the candidates for the sheriffs race. for me to accept any payment from anyone would be against the law. You would need to have a private investigators license....
Posted by bfrank2 on May 7, 2008 at 2:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
There seems to be a lot of rhetoric on these posts. I believe that this could all be cut down to some basic facts and observations. A man was pulled over and accused of DUI. I, personally, can't say that he was from the evidence presented thus far. He runs off at the mouth at the station because he believes that he has been set-up. Agree or not, I find it understandable. He makes a series of calls to a woman and his wife. In them he demands that a magistrate come do a bond hearing so that he may get out. He states in those calls that the magistrate will have to do hearings for all incarcerated, not just him. That is all the law demands. For one who believes that he has been set-up, that is an understandable move. Does it appear ethical? It may not appear so but that doesn't mean it isn't. Is there reason to believe his accusations of being set-up? Let's look. He has been on the offensive against improprieties in the Sheriff' department for some time. I can see that making someone in power unhappy. Is Mr. Rose connected to the Sheriff in some way? It appears as if that may be true.
Posted by ChrisPia on May 7, 2008 at 2:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Dorchester County Sheriff's Office report
Monday, April 21, 2008
Narrative from the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office report written and approved by Sgt. Randy Botten, who charged Sen. Randy Scott on Saturday night with drinking under the influence:
On 04-19-2008 R/O was informed by Deputy (Chris) Freshman of a possible DUI suspect. Deputy Freshman stated that the vehicle was being driven in a very erratic manner, drifting from lane to lane. Deputy Freshman stated that he ran the tag was a state senator, and that the vehicle abruptly pulled into the Bi-Lo parking lot on Boone Hill road. R/O arrived at the Bi-Lo and met with Deputy Freshman and (Deputy Alexiss) Underwood. R/O observed the vehicle sitting in the parking lot. R/O watched the vehicle for several minutes. The vehicle stayed in the parking lot with no lights on and with an occupant in the drivers seat.
R/O advised Lt. (George) Hill that the vehicle was registered to a state senator and requested a unit with a camera system be en route, due to R/O vehicle not