ANDERSON

Bar fighting magistrate arrested for DUI

An Anderson County magistrate, who recently found himself on the other end of the gavel following a bar brawl with a sheriff’s deputy in June, now faces drunk driving charges stemming from a traffic stop last week.
According to authorities, a trooper stopped Judge Mike Smith around midnight when he saw that the judge was driving on two flat tires with no headlights. The judge was charged with driving under the influence after he reportedly failed a field sobriety test.
In June, Anderson County Deputy Gene Brock was terminated from his position after witnesses say he punched Smith at Malibu Sports Bar in Williamston after the judge became belligerent. Smith later denied charges that he grabbed a woman inappropriately and cursed bar patrons and arresting officers on the scene.

Real life “Ronnie Dobbs” blames alcohol for repeat court visits

An Anderson man claims he was drunk when he was arrested for violating a trespass order while trying to buy alcohol at an area supermarket.
“I admit I have a problem with alcohol,” Sammy Strong, 39, told an Anderson judge following his arrest for violating a trespass order and attempting to purchase beer at an Ingles supermarket. Officers said they shot Strong with a Taser when he refused to put down his beer and concede to the arrest.
Judge Hugh Welborn said he would go against his better judgment and allow Strong to sign a bond on the promise that he would return to face trial, according to the Anderson Independent-Mail. Strong reportedly failed to report to face a previous unrelated trespassing and public intoxication charge.
“It slipped my mind,” Strong said at the May hearing, according to the report. “I ain’t gonna tell you a bold-faced lie.”
In October, Strong was arrested in a Burger King parking lot after swinging at a police officer and missing. Before being found guilty on that charge, Strong told the judge that a new pair of boots made it hard for him to walk, presumably causing him to loiter. In August, 2007 Strong was reportedly convicted of shoplifting at Wal-Mart and malicious destruction of city property after he urinated in the arresting officer’s patrol car.

Wheelchair-bound teen terrorizes community

A wheelchair-bound teenager was arrested in connection with an armed robbery less than a month after an Anderson judge ordered him to serve 30 days in jail on a malicious destruction of property charge. According to authorities, Chase Trinidad, 17, robbed a 44-year-old man at gunpoint and managed to wheel away with $20. Last month, Trinidad was found in his chair, brick in hand, near a 1996 Honda Accord riddled with dents and a broken mirror. The teen pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of property. Trinidad allegedly pulled a knife on the owner of the car in an earlier incident, according to police reports.

FLORENCE

Darlington business leaders prefer commuting via mo-ped

Citing high gasoline prices, a number of Darlington businessmen have traded in their sedans for mo-peds.
According to a report by the Florence Morning News, area coroner, Todd Hardee, rides his scooter—in full suit and tie—to the funeral home he owns (though he doesn’t, he says, report to any of his coroner calls on the mo-ped). Restaurant owner, Joey Saleeby, reportedly does the grocery shopping for his business astride his scooter, stuffing gallons of mayonnaise and other items into the compartment under the seat. The Assistant Darlington Fire Chief, a Darlington County Sheriff’s Investigator, the town pharmacist and an area preacher who claimed to be “scooting for Jesus” also reported commuting to work on mo-peds.
“They say the new Darlington County sheriff, Wayne Byrd, is going to put all the investigators on mo-peds next year to cut down on expenses,” Hardee joked to the Morning News. “That’s a rumor I’d like to get started.”

ROCK HILL

York County Council member drives to meeting on suspended license

A York County Council member reportedly gave a number of reasons for being behind the wheel of his black Audi with a suspended driver’s license. When a Rock Hill Herald reporter asked Councilman Paul Lindemann to clarify his vague excuses for driving, the councilman said that he had been under stress.
“I just sold my house,” he told the Herald. “My kid’s sick. I’ve been taking calls all day from these PETA people. I’ve been under some duress lately.”
Lindemann’s license was suspended for six months following his refusal to take a breathalyzer test during a July 16 traffic stop. The councilman was also convicted last year of driving on a suspended license. A second conviction could bring fines of $600 and/or 60 days in jail. The July arrest marked the ninth time Lindemann has been cited for traffic violations and the third time he has been charged with driving under the influence since 1998, according to the Herald.

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