Alleged shooter pleads not guilty in gun charge
The man accused of shooting first-year business student Martha Childress has pleaded not guilty on a federal weapons charge.
Michael Juan Smith, 20, was arraigned Tuesday after being indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 5 for being a convicted violent felon in possession of a firearm.
Smith had a .40-caliber Glock pistol and .40-caliber ammunition at the time of the shooting, the indictment said.
Smith has been convicted of second-degree burglary and grand larceny in the past, one of which was classified as a violent crime. He is being held without bail at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and has been charged with battery of a high and aggravated nature, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, being a violent felon possessing a weapon and possessing a stolen gun.
Police seeking money for specialized officers
The Columbia Police Department is seeking a grant that could grow its burgeoning gang unit, The State reported.
Chris Segers, the city’s grant writer, was given permission to apply for the money by City Council’s public safety committee Tuesday. In order to get a grant of $243,990, the city would have to come up with 10 percent of the grant in matching funds. That grant would hire and equip two gang investigators.
The department will also apply for a $250,000 grant to hire two additional criminal domestic violence investigators.
Both grants come from the S.C. Department of Public Safety. The department has about $3 million to give to local agencies across South Carolina. It could fund all or part of each request. Grants could be available for up to three years.
Lexington area to be developed into shops, homes
The Columbia Police Department is seeking a grant that could grow its burgeoning gang unit, The State reported.
Chris Segers, the city’s grant writer, was given permission to apply for the money by City Council’s public safety committee Tuesday. In order to get a grant of $243,990, the city would have to come up with 10 percent of the grant in matching funds. That grant would hire and equip two gang investigators.
The department will also apply for a $250,000 grant to hire two additional criminal domestic violence investigators.
Both grants come from the S.C. Department of Public Safety. The department has about $3 million to give to local agencies across South Carolina. It could fund all or part of each request. Grants could be available for up to three years.