SLED releases Santiago phone conversations
Secret recordings of phone conversations involving Interim Police Chief Ruben Santiago were released Wednesday and do not contain any mentions of a “black ops” plot to frame another city official, The State reported.
Former Capt. David Navarro accused Santiago in July of planning to plant stolen drugs and a gun in a city official’s car. On Tuesday, the FBI and State Law Enforcement Division concluded that there was not enough evidence to charge either of the men with a crime.
SLED allowed the recordings to be released after media outlets filed Freedom of Information Act requests for documents related to the case.
City Manager Teresa Wilson said the recordings were troubling and caused her “concern about leadership” because they involved profanity-laced conversations about promoting and transferring people within the police department.
Bill to protect pets from abuse, violent homes
A bill allowing judges to issue emergency protective orders for pets is pending in the state General Assembly, The State reported.
State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, said that people who abuse women and children could also abuse family pets and that abusers can use their victims’ love for pets to manipulate them.
The bill would allow judges to include pets in emergency orders sought by those trying to escape from violent relationships. The House passed a similar bill last year, but the legislative session ended before the Senate could vote on it.
Kim Kelly, state director for the Humane Society of the United States, said that more than 80 percent of women who enter domestic violence shelters report animal abuse in their homes and that a victim of abuse shouldn’t have to choose between her own safety and her pet.
Lexington teen charged with murder, denied bond
An 18-year-old former Lexington High School student accused of murdering a Dutch Fork student was denied bond on Thursday, The State reported.
Judge William Keesley said that Kierin Dennis “poses a danger to the community” and the “undisputed evidence” is that he entered a hostile environment armed. Dennis is accused of fatally stabbing Da’Von Capers on Feb. 17.
At the bond hearing, Dennis’ attorney Todd Rutherford said his client will attempt to invoke the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law because he was in fear of his life after a tension-filled basketball game between the high schools.
Dennis was returned to the Lexington County Detention Center after the hearing, which more than 60 friends, relatives and church members attended to support him.