When Chas Hayes prayed Sunday, sometimes pausing slightly in mid-sentence in search of words as the air hung heavy and humid with hints of rain, he prayed for justice. Hayes, associate pastor at Chestnut Ridge Baptist Church, was among some 50 people attending a vigil at the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office for 2-year-old murder victim…
A child’s mother and her boyfriend are being held in the Johnson Detention Center without bond after being charged in the beating death of her 2-year-old son Saturday morning on Country Lane in Clinton. Jessica Blake Smith, the child’s mother, and her boyfriend, William Ryan Looper, both face multiple charges stemming from their arrests. Laurens…
A domestic-violence incident turned deadly Sunday afternoon when a woman was allegedly shot and killed by her boyfriend in northern Laurens County. The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 9-1-1 call to Tullyton Drive in Fountain Inn and found the body of Faith Elizabeth Garza, 24, in a camper where she died of an…
Two people have been charged in the brutal murder of a 2-year-old boy Saturday morning on Country Lane in Clinton. The boy’s mother, Jessica Blake Smith, and her boyfriend, William Ryan Looper face charges from the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office after deputies found the boy dead at the residence. According to the LCSO, the child,…
The Laurens County Council voted Tuesday for a continuance on approval of the 2018-19 county budget to allow the required publication of legal notices on the public hearing related to the budget. But Laurens County Administrator Jon Caime said the budget is ready for a final vote from council, which is scheduled for its July…
A Facebook post by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office Monday helped lead to the arrest of a Simpsonville man who wrecked a stolen truck in Hickory Tavern. Daniel Banks was arrested and charged with possession of stolen property after an afternoon manhunt led to his arrest on Rabon Church Road late Monday evening. Banks allegedly…
The annual Riverfront Freedom Festival at the Laurens City Amphitheater on July 3 will cap several local events leading up to the July 4 holiday. The June 29-July 1 weekend will include Finally Friday’s “Sweet Tea Soiree,” presented by Main Street Laurens on the historic square as well as the Lights on the Lake fireworks…
Fountain Inn businessman Kemp Younts got strong showings in the Greenpond and Jones voting districts to win Tuesday’s Republican Primary run-off election for the District 1 seat on Laurens County Council. Younts defeated Susan K. Thackston, collecting 55 percent of the vote and winning 510 votes to 413. “I’m extremely grateful to the people in…
Laurens County voters are headed to the polls today for a primary election runoff to decide a county council seat in addition to GOP nominations for governor and attorney journal. Voters in Laurens County Council District 1 will decide between Kemp Younts and Susan Thackston, the top two vote getters in the June 12 Republican…
The man who allegedly had more than 20 Chihuahua breed dogs living in filth at a Gray Court residence no faces 18 counts of ill treatment of animals and remains in the Johnson Detention Center. Timothy Edward Glassford, of Kennedy Road in Gray Court, had been arrested earlier for assault and batter of a high-and-aggravated…