news in brief

Good samaritan car jacking

A man has been arrested after deputies said he carjacked a good samaritan in Chapin.

Mikel Edison King, 36, is charged with carjacking, according to deputies. They said other charges against King are expected.

“Based on what deputies determined at the crash scene and during interviews with the victim, King carjacked a man near an overturned vehicle at mile marker 91 on I-26,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said.

“The man stopped to see if King needed help. King acted as though he had a gun and forced the victim to drive him to the Newberry County line.”

The man dropped King off and drove back into Lexington County to notify authorities about the incident, according to Koon.

“We put out a bulletin describing King, and Newberry County deputies encountered him a short time later,” Koon said. “We confirmed his identity and arrested him.”

King is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center while he awaits a bond hearing.

Lexington pair arrested in stolen

car from Ohio (mugs)

A Lexington County man and woman were arrested Apr. 1 after deputies found drugs in their stolen car.

Rozalynd Clare Cawood, 42, is charged with possession of a Schedule I narcotic. Michael Jeremy Knox, 39, is charged with driving under suspension-third offense.

“A deputy stopped the car on South Lake Drive because it didn’t have a license plate,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said.

“After the car was confirmed stolen out of Ohio, Ca-wood and Knox were detained while deputies searched the car.”

Deputies found crystal meth and drug paraphernalia under the passenger seat, according to Koon.

Cawood and Knox are being held in the Lexington Count Detention Center while they await a bond hearing.

Investigators are still working to determine the owner of the stolen car.

Springdale police chief, officer

arrested on fraud, drug charges

Two Sprindale Police Department employees were among 9 individuals indicted on federal visa fraud and drug charges.

According to the Indictment, 4 of the suspects helped individuals obtain fraudulent U-Visas by taking bribes for fraudulent certifications and creating fake incident reports indicating that aliens were victims of crimes.

The Indictment further alleges that officers took bribes in exchange for protecting methamphetamine and cocaine or the proceeds of drug trafficking.

Springdale Police Department Chief Lacra Sharod Jenkins and Spring-dale PD Officer Allan Hunter, Jr. are charged with Conspiracy, Visa Fraud, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.

The other 5 suspects were with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office.

If convicted, Jenkins and Hunter face a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.

“If these allegations are proved, these defendants do not deserve to wear the badge and should not be allowed to bring disrepute on the overwhelming majority of men and women in blue who serve South Carolina with integrity,” said U.S. Attorney Lydon.

The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from ICE – Homeland Security Investigations and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Break-in suspect arrested

A Florida man is being held in a string of car break-ins.

Lexington County deputies arrested Eugene Christopher Washington, 33.

He is charged with 6 counts of larceny from a motor vehicle and 1 count of identity fraud.

“We got a break when a resident contacted us from Chapin with a description of a man and a car involved in what he thought to be a car break-in,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said.

Deputies searched a house where Washington was staying and found items and documents from multiple car break-ins.

“Washington had more than two dozen Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses and victim bank account information,” Koon said.

“Based on what Washington told investigators, he hit multiple areas around Lexington County including Chapin, Columbia, Irmo and Lexington. Our work on those cases is ongoing.”

Lexington man arrested in robbery

Lexington County deputies arrested a man Sunday in connection to the armed robbery of a convenience store.

Jihad Stockdale, 26, is charged with armed robbery and possessing a weapon during a violent crime, according to arrest warrants.

“As detectives investigated the robbery Saturday night, they determined Stockdale went into the Pitt Stop on Longs Pond Road and demanded money from a clerk while armed with a pistol,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said. “The clerk told investigators she could positively identify Stockdale because he used to work at the store and still comes in as a customer.”

Stockdale fled the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash but was arrested a short distance from the store Sunday afternoon, according to Koon.

Stockdale is being held in the Lexington County Detention Center after his bond was set Monday at $51,000.

Irmo man charged in murder

An Irmo man has been arrested in the death of 23-year-old Malik Kluttz, also of Irmo.

Ervin Chauncey Meggett, 22, is charged with the murder.

Kluttz’s body was found along the Newberry and Laurens county line of I-26 Sunday morning, said Laurens County Sheriff Don Reynolds.

Sheriff Reynolds said that the body found appeared to have suffer fatal gunshot wounds.

After his arrest, Meggett was transported back to Laurens County Detention Center where he was booked for the charge of murder.

Fentanyl trafficking to carry

20-year sentence

New criminal charges may be on the way for anyone caught trafficking fentanyl in South Carolina.

A bill introduced in the State House would make trafficking four or more grams of fentanyl a felony, reports WCBD News 2.

“Whether you have a gram or 5 lbs., it’s treated the same—so this is a good tool for law enforcement to use,” said SC Rep. Russell Fry of Horry County. “They can put people behind bars that have too much of this substance and are killing people in our communities.”

If approved, first-time offenders would face 20 years in prison without parole.

A second offense would carry a 30-year sentence.