Father arrested after toddler found on highway
After his son was found on a busy road with a dirty diaper Saturday morning, a Manning, S.C., man was arrested for child neglect and lying to police, WIS reports.
Triequomy Brown, who was also wanted on a warrant for a traffic violation, was ordered to be held on a $50,000 bond. His son, 2-year-old Triquan Brown, is currently in the custody of the Department of Social Services, and Triequomy Brown has been told to stay away from his son until the case goes to court.
Triequomy Brown told investigators he fell asleep around 7 a.m. Saturday and when he woke up, Triquan Brown was missing. The boy’s mother was at work at the time and Triequomy Brown was supposed to be watching his son, Clarendon County Sheriff Randy Garrett said.
Triquan Brown was found by a woman driving to work around 9 a.m. on Highway 261, near Manning. The boy went unclaimed for about three hours.
— Compiled by Amanda Coyne, Assistant News Editor
Former accountant indicted in embezzlement case
A former accountant has been indicted for embezzling more than $200,000 from the South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL).
Anthony J. McNeil, 55, was indicted by a Richland County Grad Jury Friday on one count of embezzlement of public funds over $10,000, WIS reports.
McNeil was in charge of collecting payments owed to SCEL. Between April 17, 2010, and August 11, 2012, McNeil manually manipulated SCEL invoices, causing some retailers to be overcharged while others didn’t have proper funds collected, according to investigators.
The money from those who were overcharged covered the accounts of the undercharged retailers, whom McNeil would contact to say a system error caused a failure to collect payments, according to the arrest warrant.
The funds McNeil told the retailers to deposit totaled $226,439.07 and were deposited into an account he controlled, according to investigators. If convicted, McNeil could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine.
— Compiled by Amanda Coyne, Assistant News Editor
Assistant professor facing child pornography charges
An assistant principal of a Rock Hill, S.C., middle school was charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child Friday.
Darin Pearson of Sullivan Middle School was arrested Friday morning, The State reports.
The arrest stemmed from an alert from the Metro Nashville Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that told the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department that Pearson was involved in the exchange of child pornography.
After electronics were seized from Pearson’s home, the police found evidence connecting him to child porn, according to The State.
The police say there is currently no information to lead detectives to believe there have been assaults on children in Charlotte.
Pearson has worked at Sullivan Middle School for about 10 years. He has been the assistant principal since July 2007 and worked as a teacher in the school for five years before. He was also previously named the school’s teacher of the year.
Pearson is currently on paid administrative leave.
— Compiled by Amanda Coyne, Assistant News Editor