Personal Injury Attorney in Hampton, SC

HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - On Monday, 5-year-old Genesis Moore started her afternoon routine as normal. She got into the bus lane, loaded the bus, and was taken to her typical drop-off spot. Her daycare is less than a mile away from her elementary school in Yemassee.

When she got there, something was off— the doors were locked and the lights were off. The daycare was closed but now the bus was out of sight.

“I was just standing there all alone,” said Moore. ““I knocked on the other door, and nobody still wasn’t there.”

Confused and alone Moore didn’t know what to do so she just waited in place.

On the other side of town her grandmother, Shelia Anderson, was at work.

That’s until she received a call that her granddaughter Genesis was outside of her daycare alone.

The call came from the daycare owner who had received a call that there was a little girl outside of her location.

“It’s not right of her to just leave a child there, there were no cars in the parking lot, the lights were off and no one was there to get her,” said Anderson.

Anderson headed over to pick her granddaughter up as soon as she got word—leaving work to come to her aid.

When she arrived a stranger was standing there with her waiting.

“Thank goodness the stranger was nice, she saw a little girl standing alone and said she didn’t feel right driving past knowing she was all alone so she came and waited with her,” said Anderson.

“But that lady could have taken Genesis and got on l-95 and we would have never known where she went,” Anderson expressed.

The family says they were not able to get the name of the woman who stood by their kindergartener but want to find a way to connect and thank her properly.

“I am so incredibly thankful that this stranger pulled over and stayed with her,” says Abram Hamilton, Genesis’ father. “I want to find her so I can properly thank her.”

A situation that could have ended very differently.

Now, the family is asking for answers. How did this happen?

According to Hampton County School District, the bus driver realized the daycare was closed after 15 minutes and went to turn around.

Superintendent Ronald Wilcox, Hampton County School District, says by that point the principal had left to be with the student, but her parents had already gotten her.

The daycare was her typical drop-off spot and Anderson says that a few weeks prior the daycare had sent home dates of their closure.

But she says that the bus driver never should have left her off the bus without anyone there to get her.

“There is always an aid from the daycare,” Anderson said.

According to another concerned parent, this may not be the first time the district has had issues with this bus driver.

Nachella Smalls, a parent whose daughter has been riding that bus, says when she heard about the situation she was scared, but not surprised, saying that this is not the first issue the school has had with this specific bus driver.

She says it has come to a point where she no longer lets her daughter take the bus.

“I have trauma because of that, so I don’t think I will ever put her back on the bus ever again,” said Smalls, referring to a time she claims this same bus driver had backed into a ditch near her home.

“I don’t know if she was rushing, or needs more training,” said Smalls. I don’t know what it is, but I do know that I don’t feel safe putting my daughter on the bus.”

Anderson and her family say that this incident has made them nervous about letting Genesis ride the bus but due to work schedules, it may be the only option.

They also expressed wanting more answers from the school district on what is the future of the bus driver.

“Just talking to her and still allowing her to drive buses the day after… that’s unacceptable to me,” said Anderson.

Superintendent Ronald Wilcox said that an internal investigation has started into the bus driver and the incident.

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A former Hampton banker and previously convicted Alex Murdaugh fraud accomplice will get another day in court.

On Thursday, a federal appeals court vacated former Palmetto State Bank CEO Russell Lucius Laffitte's 2022 conviction.

A Fourth Circuit federal appellate tribunal composed of U.S. Circuit Court Judges G. Steven Agee, Stephanie Thacker, and Toby J. Heytens rendered the Nov. 14 order that vacated the conviction from the U.S. District Court of South Carolina, and the sentence imposed by federal Judge Richard Gergel.

The appellate panel ruled that Judge Gergel violated Laffitte's Fifth Amendment right to be present when he questioned a juror, identified only as Juror 88, without Laffitte or his counsel present; and violated Laffitte's Sixth Amendment right to an impartial jury when he later dismissed that juror during deliberations, adding that the juror's dismissal was linked to her pending view of the verdict.

According to the 37-page unanimous order, Juror 88 was dismissed in the absence of Laffitte's counsel after she told the judge she was feeling anxiety "due to some of the reactions to my decision" from other jurors. After Juror 88 was dismissed, Laffitte was then found guilty on all counts.

In April 2023, Judge Gergel denied Laffitte's motion for a new trial, which prompted the appeal to the higher court.

Laffittee, a member of a hundred-year-old banking dynasty in Hampton County, was convicted on Nov. 22, 2022, of bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and three counts of misapplication of bank funds in connection with the internationally publicized Alex Murdaugh financial fraud cases.

Laffittee was charged in both state and federal jurisdictions for allegedly using his role as Palmetto State Bank CEO to help now-disbarred Hampton attorney Murdaugh steal millions from multiple clients and lawyers.

Laffittee was sentenced to seven years in federal prison at the Federal Correctional Institution Coleman in Florida, where he is residing as of this order.

Laffitte's case will now be remanded back to the U.S. District Court in South Carolina's Beaufort district for a new trial, most likely before a new federal judge.

Will Laffitte be released from federal prison until retrial?

What will happen to Laffitte now? That remains to be seen.

Laffitte was indicted on multiple fraud and conspiracy charges by the S.C. State Grand Jury in 2022. He has yet to stand trial or be sentenced for those charges.

At the time of his November 2022 federal conviction, Laffitte was on house arrest after posting bond in both federal and state jurisdictions and at one point, was wearing both a state and a federal ankle monitor.

With his sentence vacated, Laffitte will likely be released soon from FCI Coleman under similar bond conditions in one or both jurisdictions.

"His state charges are still pending, for which he was on bond prior to his federal indictment, trial, and conviction," said Robert Kittle, a spokesperson for the S.C. Attorney General's Office, which is prosecuting the state charges. "The federal courts will likely address pretrial bond for their retrial if they elect to do so, but if not, he will return on state bond until we can schedule a trial, which we would look for a date certain for trial after session in 2025 due to his lawyer Todd Rutherford’s legislative duties, which preclude him from being called to court during that time."

As current Superintendent Dr. Ronald Wilcox prepares to retire, the Hampton County School District has recently announced three finalists to fill the superintendent position and has scheduled opportunities for the public to meet these top candidates.

The HCSD Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Oct. 28 to select three candidates as finalists for the position of district superintendent. Those finalists are David Laws, Jr., Ed.D; Glenda Sheffield, Ed.D.; and John Tharp, Ed.D.

The board made its selection of the three finalists after a thorough review of all applicants and interviews with semi-finalists on Oct. 21-23, stated a district news release.

“The Board is pleased to present three highly qualified candidates for this crucial leadership position,” said Board Chair Sabrena Graham. “The board looks forward to the next phase in the search process and hopes the community will attend our meet and greet."

The statement added that the finalists will be in the district on Nov. 4, 6, and 7, and there will be a community Meet and Greet on Nov. 7 so that parents, staff and community members will have an opportunity to meet all three finalists. The Meet and Greet will begin at 6 p.m. in the multipurpose room at North District Middle School in Varnville.

Here are some details on each finalist as provided by the HCSD (in alphabetical order):

David Laws, Jr., Ed.D currently serves as the Director of Innovation and Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Sumter School District. He has held this position since 2015. Prior to this, he was a middle school Principal in Sumter School District and Florence District Three. Prior to this he served as an Assistant Principal, a Director of Technology, and an Electronics Instructor. He served in the United States Air Force for six and a half years.

He earned his Education Specialist and Doctorate Degrees from South Carolina State University. He earned a Master’s Degree in educational leadership from the University of South Carolina and in Technology in Education from Lesley University. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He earned two associate degrees from the Community College of the US Air Force.

Glenda Sheffield, Ed.D. currently serves as Chief Academic Officer for The School District of Palm Beach County in Florida. She has been in this role for five years. She served as South Regional Instructional Superintendent in PalmBeach for three years. She was principal of William T. Dwyer High School for four years, principal of Howell L. Watkins Middle School for two years, principal of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School for four years, Assistant Principal at Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary for four years, Assistant Principal at Palm Beach Lakes Community High School for two years, Magnet Academy Coordinator at William T. Dwyer High School for three years and a classroom teacher for four years.

She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Voorhees College, a Master of Education Degree from Bowling Green State University, and an Education Specialist and Doctorate from Nova Southeastern University.

John Tharp, Ed.D. is an educational leader, currently serving as the principal of a high school in York County, South Carolina. His leadership experience includes roles as Executive Director and Title I Principal in Hamilton CountySchools, Tennessee. Dr. Tharp has also contributed at the collegiate level in both Atlanta and Milwaukee. His career spans various roles, including District Administrator, Assistant Superintendent, Principal, Assistant Principal, Social Studies teacher and instructional coach.

He holds a Doctorate and Master's Degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor’s Degree in history from Illinois Wesleyan University.

The HCSD Board contracted with the S.C. School Board Association (SCSBA) for Superintendent Search Services. SCSBA staff worked with our local board on all phases of the superintendent search.

Those services included advertising the superintendent position regionally or nationally, receiving applications, conducting reference checks, arranging on-site visits, leading community meetings or focus groups and working with the local media.

The SCSBA handled the logistics of the search but did not make employment recommendations and do not hire the superintendent, stated the HCSD news release, as the local board maintains control of the process at every stage.

The HCSD also recently announced that it would be holding closed session meetings on Nov. 4, 6, and 7 to further interview the three finalists.

The district did not announce an expected date to make their final selection.

The Hampton County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), announced an Oct. 10 arrest after a domestic incident led to a local woman being stabbed to death.

The HCSO has arrested 33-year-old Shyheed Nygy Horton, of Brunson, S.C., in connection with a fatal stabbing that occurred the previous day in the 700 block of Broad Road.

According to a HCSO release, deputies responded to a report of a woman being stabbed. Responding officers determined that an argument had broken out between the two individuals, and investigators believe the victim was stabbed during this altercation.

On Sunday, Hampton County Coroner Anna Fields identified the deceased as Keshandra Gordon, no age given, of Brunson. Gordon had been employed at the Food Lion grocery store in Hampton.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the victim’s family as they endure this unimaginable loss," said H.C. Sheriff Anthony Russell. "They are in our thoughts and prayers, and we ask the community to join us in supporting them during this incredibly difficult time."

"We would like to extend our gratitude to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the Hampton County Coroner’s Office for their continued support and assistance in this investigation," he added.

The HCSO says there is no ongoing threat to the community. The investigation remains active, however, and additional updates may be provided as more information becomes available.