Crime Reports

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School district pays for slander lawsuit

By HEATHER RUPPE

The Colleton County School District recently paid $67,500 to the alleged victim of a slander lawsuit.

According to media reports in multiple Lowcountry-area news sites, the school district paid the cash from its Insurance Reserve Fund to the unnamed female victim, who said that her reputation was so severely damaged from rumors of her having an affair that she lost her job and had to move from the Colleton County area.

The libel and slander lawsuit was filed in 2017 and involves a former Forest Hills Elementary School employee, with claims of slander starting in 2015.

Colleton County School District Spokesman Sean Gruber said he cannot comment on the suit and would not provide further details about the payout.

In other crime reports:

Trespassers caught by fire pit

Law enforcement officers were called to a wooded area between Wal-Mart in Walterboro and a mobile home park on Jan. 8th to a report of two people trespassing on private property. When the deputy arrived, he saw the suspects – a 38-year-old woman and a 62-year-old man – standing next to a fire pit. The private property owner confirmed these two people were trespassing on her property and were not allowed to be there. While detaining the two suspects, the deputy discovered a meth pipe that fell from the suspects’ clothing and onto the floorboard of the deputy’s patrol car.

The glass pipe was taken as evidence and the two suspects were charged with trespassing.

Fondling happens inside local convenience store

Deputies with the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office were called to the Pak-A-Sak store on Sidneys Road near Walterboro on Jan. 11th to a report of a sexual assault that occurred inside the store. The official report was for fondling and assault with intent to commit a crime. No other details of this alleged crime are available.

Woman’s ex is alleged burglar in tool theft

The boyfriend of a Walterboro woman is the alleged suspect in a burglary. According to a Colleton County Sheriff’s Office incident report, the female victim called 911 on Jan. 9th and reported that between the hours of 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., she was awakened by her dogs barking loudly. The woman said she ignored the dogs; however, in the morning hours, she discovered that her garage was open and that multiple items were stolen, including her father’s shop tools. The burglar even cut down light fixtures and switches from inside the garage. Additionally, the burglar took the crank of the woman’s car, which prevents her car from cranking. The victim said she believes the person responsible is her ex-boyfriend, and she believes the man stole the items to sell for drugs, the report states. The deputy stated in his report that he was going to attempt to locate the suspect, but the man cannot be charged at this time with the crime because of no solid proof linking him to the crime, the report states.

Brazen beer thief steals several cases

A 45-year-old Walterboro man is the suspect in a shoplifting case where he allegedly stole four cases of Bud Light and three cases of Michelob. According to a Walterboro Police Department incident report, the suspect stocked the beer in his cart at IGA and walked past the cashiers, going to his car in the parking lot and then leaving. The total cost of the stolen beer is $159.76.

The man was caught on camera and has been identified.