Three were charged in connection with an alleged meth lab found at a Laurens County residence in the Enoree area. These consisted of one man and two women. They are 22-year-old James Andrew Walz of 3 Allen Street, Enoree, 39-year-old Teresa Ann Lell of 151 Community Center Road, Enoree, who is also known as “Red” and 40-year-old Shannon Leigh Fowler of 212 Patterson Plant Road, Enoree. These three suspects have been charged with Manufacture of Methamphetamine and Illegal Disposal of Methamphetamine Waste. Narcotics Officer Matt Veal states in warrants that on May 9^th each of the three suspects were at a residence where items used in the manufacture of methamphetamine were located and that each

unlawfully disposed of methamphetamine waste at that location on Patterson Plant Road, Enoree. Bond on the two charges were set totaling $25,000. Shannon Fowler, Teresa Lell and James Andrew Walz each remained in the Johnson Detention Center this morning.

 A Greenville man was placed in the Laurens County Detention Center Friday after allegedly failing to show for General Sessions Court last Monday to face charges from two alleged Sex crimes. The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office booked 48-year-old Kevin Bruce Coker of 100 Buttercup Way, Greenville on Bench Warrants citing Failure to Appear May 6^th. One charge he’s facing is Criminal Sexual Conduct with a victim under age 11 in the 1^st Degree. The second charge is Attempting to Commit a Lewd Act on a victim under age 16. Kevin Bruce Coker remained in the Johnson Detention Center over the weekend, pending court appearance.

   The Top Ten Students from each class at Laurens District 55 High School were honored last Thursday during the annual Top Ten Awards Program of the Laurens Rotary Club. Principal Sonya Bryant introduced the top students from each of the four classes, and gave additional information on the top ten academic achievers from the Senior Class. This information included the amount of scholarships each has been awarded, as of last week. One student had earned over $400,000 in potential scholarships. Mrs. Bryant said that additional scholarships will still be coming in over the next few weeks. She noted that the amount already collected by the Top Ten Seniors has already exceeded the total in scholarships awarded to the Senior Class last year.

 Half the Top Ten students from the Senior Class of 2013 have announced plans to attend Presbyterian College. The other five have announced intentions to attend Wofford College, Charleston Southern University, Greenville Tech, Clemson and the University of South Carolina.

   The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a residence outside Fountain Inn at 10:54 Saturday night on a report of a call from a woman alleging her husband was ‘showing out.’ Another call reported the husband had a gun. Lt. Marty Crain, Sgt. Robert Simmons and Fountain Inn City Police officers arrived and were greeted at the door by the husband who was bleeding from his bottom lip and on the top of his right hand. Questioning what had happened, the Officers were told there had been a cook-out at the home to celebrate the husband’s birthday. He had reportedly been drinking a lot of alcohol. At one point when his wife questioned him, he allegedly got a frying pan and came after her with it. Two men who were at the party reportedly intervened, and he allegedly fought with them. Others at the party then reportedly separated the men. The husband then allegedly got a revolver and went to the door, allegedly pointing the gun at the two men with whom he had fought.

Sgt. Timmons notes that the Sheriff’s office took a black 9 mm Taurus Slip Pistol into custody. 49-year-old David Robin Landers of 305 Walnut Crest Court, Fountain Inn was charged with Criminal Domestic Violence of a High and Aggravated Nature, with Two Counts of Assault and Battery in the 2^nd Degree, also with Two Counts of Pointing and Presenting a Firearm and was further charged with use of a Weapon during Commission of a Violent Crime. Warrants accuse David Robin Landers of assaulting his wife Saturday using a cooking pan as a weapon, coming at her with the pan in his hands. 

Warrants also alleged he attempted to injure two men at his home Saturday by fighting with them, and that he pointed a firearm at both these male victims during the altercation at his residence. And he is accused of the use of what appeared to be a firearm during the alleged assaults at his home Saturday. Bonds were set on the six charges totaling $100,000. David Landers remained in theJohnsonDetentionCenterthis morning.

 The Arts Come Alive in Downtown Clinton tomorrow morning. Laurens County School District #56 Art and Music Teachers, staff and students plan to “Celebrate the Arts in Clinton” this Saturday. District 56 Students’ art work will be displayed in store front windows of Downtown Clinton and students will set up art demonstrations along Musgrove Street.  Musical groups will be performing at the Depot. 

 District 56 and the City of Clinton invite everyone to come downtown Saturday morning and enjoy the great talents of our students!   The event kicks off around 10:00 a.m.

Laurens County General Sessions Criminal Court yesterday placed 33-year-old Richard Todd “Ricky” Stribling of 1490 Knighton Chapel Road, Woodruff in the Laurens County Detention Center with sentences from two counts of Violation of Probation.

One case of violating the terms of probation was from a conviction on an Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature charge from a September, 2007 event. Stribling received a sentence of two years yesterday. He had previously served four years on that sentence. He was sentenced to serve one year for a violation of probation from a sentence related to an August 2009 event where he was charged with Indecent Exposure. He had previously served two years on this sentence. Ricky Stribling was being held in the Johnson Detention Center pending transfer to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

   An arrest was made yesterday in connection with a burglary in Laurens last June. Laurens City Police charged 57-year-old Thomas Gary Tumblin of 480 Shiloh Estates Road, Gray Court with First Degree Burglary and with Criminal Conspiracy.

 Detective Tony Lynch states that between June 24^th and 28^th 2012 Thomas Gary Tumblin did conspire and agree with another man to break into a residence in the 900 block of Church Street Laurens. During that time frame, Tumblin allegedly committed 1^st Degree Burglary by breaking into that home and stealing an assortment of power tools.

A $50,000 cash or surety bond was set on the 1^st Degree Burglary charge, while a $10,000 bond was set on the Criminal Conspiracy charge. Thomas Gary Tumblin remained in the Laurens County Detention Center this morning.

 Yesterday, Congressman Jeff Duncan participated in the first of a series of hearings by the House Homeland Security Committee on the Boston marathon bombings. Noting the elder of the two brothers suspected on conducting the bombing had been on a watch list, Duncan said that since 2005 the GAO – Government Accounting Office – has sounded alarms about the lack of terrorist-related information sharing. Duncan said “According to GAO, the federal government has made no substantial progress in developing a system to strengthen the sharing of intelligence, terrorism, law enforcement, and other information among all of its stake holders including federal, state, local, tribal, international, and private sector partners.”

 Laurens City Police arrested a local man yesterday in connection with an alleged undercover drug purchase last December. 30-year-old Sheron Carine Walker of 54 Dragon Trail, Laurens is charged with Distribution of a Controlled Substance.

Detective Leann Riggott states that on December 4^th, 2012 Sheron Carine Walker distributed a quantity of a Schedule II Controlled Substance to a confidential informant working in conjunction with the Laurens Police Department. This incident allegedly occurred on Owings Street in Laurens. During arraignment yesterday, a cash or surety bond was set at $25,000. Sheron Walker remained in the Johnson Detention Center this morning.

   New leadership has been named for the University of South Carolina at Union. Alice Taylor-Colbert has been named dean of USC-U, building on a 30-year career in higher education administration that includes serving as a dean and then associate vice president for academic affairs at Lander University since 2010. In addition to their primary campus in Downtown Union, USC-U also operates in the Laurens County Higher Education Center. The new Dean begins her position June 1^st.