Personal Injury Attorney in Orangeburg, SC

Ribbon cutting of new wing at William J. Clark Middle School to prepare for upcoming student influx.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — The Orangeburg County School District reached a significant milestone Tuesday with the ribbon-cutting of a new addition at William J. Clark Middle School, marking the next step in its plan to consolidate middle schools in the city of Orangeburg.

The new 28,000-square-foot wing features 16 classrooms and two state-of-the-art music rooms, designed to accommodate over 1,000 students. This expansion will needed soon, as students from Robert E. Howard Middle School are set to join William J. Clark next fall.

RELATED: Orangeburg County School District breaks ground on Clark Middle School expansion

Dr. Shawn Foster, Superintendent of the Orangeburg County School District, said the addition has been a long time coming.

"When we proposed this project over a year ago it was our goal to be able to bring our students over from Howard to Clark and have one middle school here in Orangeburg proper. Going along with our theme that all means all. Making sure that we can have equity and programming, equity in accessing any level of instruction for all of our students so this is again one step closer to making sure that that big picture of excellence that we’re trying to accomplish in Orangeburg is reached," Foster said.

RELATED: Orangeburg County will have a new elementary school

The merging of the two schools is a historic moment for the district. William J. Clark Middle School Principal Phillip Mickles spoke about the significance of the consolidation.

“There is so much history because when you go back, you’re combining schools that used to be the all-White high school and the all-Black high school and now they’re coming together as one with different ethnicities, different backgrounds coming together, and it just makes for a good opportunity for everyone in Orangeburg County,” Mickles said.

Malik Cunningham, a student at William J. Clark, expressed excitement about the future.

“It’s going to be a good building bringing new students over, people can make new friends, people can make new bonds, and I feel like it’s going to be a good opportunity for William J. Clark,” Cunningham said.

The current Robert E. Howard Middle School will be demolished and replaced with a new, state-of-the-art elementary school to serve students from Brookdale, Mellichamp, and Whittaker Elementary Schools.

The new housing development on Red Bank Road aims to meet growing demand in Orangeburg County.

ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Orangeburg County Council is set to have a second reading Monday night for a subdivision on Red Bank Road. With over 300 acres, the development will have 400 single-family homes, pickleball courts, walking trails, dog parks, a pool and more.

Preston McClun, the Planning and Zoning Director for Orangeburg County, says there is a need for more housing.

“Orangeburg needs housing. Everywhere across South Carolina needs housing right now," said McClun. "South Carolina is one of those few states that’s seeing a tremendous amount of growth, and Orangeburg is seeing that due to our proximity to the interstates and the lake that we have.”

In addition to providing housing options to the Orangeburg community, the development is expected to bring retail and service opportunities to the area to support the growing population.

“You’re going to have about 1,200 people come, and with those people, you’re probably going to see more grocery stores, more restaurants," McClun said. "Development comes on the back end that you don’t actually see on the front end with the creation of the subdivision.”

Orangeburg County Council approved the rezoning of the property from forest agriculture to residential single-family. Councilwoman Latisha Walker met with local residents to hear their feedback.

“I met with the neighbors here in the community to inform them as to what was going to take place. I got a lot of input from them," said Walker. "Most neighbors were very excited about the growth. They were looking forward to it, and they’re just fully committed to this project.”

Justine Inebinet lives next to where the development is set to be constructed. She says after 45 years, it would be nice to have a grocery store right down the road.

“I just really think it will bring more people around, more people around," said Inebinet. “I wouldn’t have to bother the children, you know to come and get me, and I can ride in my chair and I can put my stuff in my lap, so I would really like for them to bring a grocery store and a clothes store.”

County Council will have their third and final reading on the project on December 16th.

Orangeburg County man Bowen Turner, 22, loses appeal

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - The South Carolina Court of Appeals ruled the Orangeburg County man accused of sexually assaulting three teenagers in three counties will have to stay registered as a sex offender.

Bowen Turner, 22, appealed having to register as a sex offender. The state Court of Appeals has been weighing the decision since a hearing on Sept. 10.

The three-judge panel rejected both of Bowen Turner’s main arguments. Instead, the judges confirmed the probation court’s decision to keep him on the sex offender registry.

Turner was first accused of sexually assaulting two teenage girls in 2018. While out on bond for the second case, he was charged with sexually assaulting a third teenager. A Live 5 Investigation also uncovered he violated bond dozens of times to go to golf courses, restaurants, and across state lines.

As part of a sweetheart plea deal, Turner pleaded guilty to assault and battery and was given probation. The circuit court judge ordered that any violation would land Turner on the sex offender registry.

A month after that hearing, Turner was arrested again for a separate incident and charged with disorderly conduct, possession of alcohol by a minor and threatening a public employee. Court documents show Turner threatened to bite off the finger of an Orangeburg County deputy when the deputy informed him of the jail’s COVID-19 protocols which required Turner to wear a mask.

Turner was subsequently required to register as a sex offender, but he disagreed with the decision and appealed.

In the Appellate Court’s opinion released, which was released on Wednesday, the judges disagreed with Turner’s argument that the probation court was wrong to refuse a request to postpone proceedings for him get a psychological evaluation.

“Turner contends the probation court erred in refusing his request for a continuance. We disagree,” the opinion states. “The probation court acted within its discretion in denying Turner’s motion for a continuance. Any opinion evidence that would have been obtained from a medical evaluation should have been presented to the sentencing court at Turner’s guilty plea.”

The appellate judges also disagreed with Turner’s argument that the probation court did not have the authority to require him to register as a sex offender.

“The probation court correctly declined to alter Turner’s sentence,” the opinion states. “Turner signed a plea agreement when he pled guilty, notifying him of his placement on the registry if he violated the conditions of his probation. Condition eleven of the Standard Sex Offender Conditions signed by Turner at the guilty plea stated, ‘I will not consume alcoholic beverages.’ Turner was arrested after using fake identification to purchase alcohol in a bar and drinking three whiskey sours. Therefore, the probation court did not err in revoking Turner’s probation and requiring him to register as a sex offender. The sentencing court’s order was final.”

The Appellate Court has still not issued a decision on a second appeal in the Turner case. That appeal involves the rights of one of Turner’s victims to be heard in court.

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ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WIS) - Up to two inches of rain could fall in an already saturated portion of the midlands, and residents from Orangeburg county voiced concerns about how much more heavy rainfall the area can handle.

Twenty roads are still closed from last month’s flash flooding in Orangeburg County.

With large portions of Oakmont Drive washed out, residents are worried more of the road may wash away.

“If it breaks loose here, you can forget about the house at this point,” said Ballard Williams.

Ballard told WIS the commute from North Road to his home typically takes about five minutes to get home.

A 9-miniute detour sent him and other residents onto a dirt road that leads to neighboring communities.

“If an emergency happens, an emergency vehicle needs to get in here, the road is blocked off,” said Oakmont Drive resident Bonita McCoy. “If the fire department or the ambulance needs to get in here, they’re not going to know how to go around or it’s going to take longer,”

South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) said they have not been able to give a timeline on when road repairs will start, saying they will have to install new drain systems after consulting with the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services to help the water flow.

“The main drain has been stopped up for eight years now,” said Williams. “Only thing that’s open is that little secondary drain which can’t handle disposing that water out of that little small drain.”

As he bears down for the weather, Williams said he feels like his options are limited.

“At this point they’re telling me that it’s not safe for me to be here,” he said. “Where am I going to go? Who’s paying for that?”

SCDOT estimates it will cost roughly $20 million to repair damages in Orangeburg and surrounding counties as a result of last month’s flood.

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