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.