Personal Injury Attorney in Orangeburg, SC

Orangeburg, SC – Residents across Orangeburg County are being warned today about a renewed wave of phone scams involving fake claims of missed jury duty, according to the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Sheriff Leroy Ravenell, the department has seen an uptick in schemes where callers falsely tell victims they missed court, jury duty, or have an outstanding bench warrant. The callers then pressure victims to pay a supposed “fine” over the phone to avoid arrest. “There’s been a rise in the number of court-related scams,” Ravenell said. “Well, be the Grinch, and don’t give them a dime. You don’t pay for missed jury duty or pay for a bench warrant over the phone.”

Ravenell said he has been notified of multiple reports this week. In most cases, the scammer claims the victim failed to appear for jury service and now faces legal consequences. Some callers allegedly use the names of real Orangeburg County deputies to make the threat feel credible.

“But poof! If you pay a ‘fine,’ the scammer will get you out of it,” Ravenell said. “And they’ll use the names of some of my officers to make themselves seem like the real thing.”

The sheriff stressed that no law enforcement agency in South Carolina demands payment by phone, and legitimate warrants are never resolved through gift cards, payment apps, or phone transfers. Anyone receiving such a call is urged to hang up immediately and report it to the Orangeburg County Communications Center at 803-534-3550.

Residents who have already provided money or personal information are encouraged to file a report as soon as possible.

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ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WCSC) - A new clinic in Orangeburg brings specialized cognitive health services to a community that ranks eighth nationally for prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease.

HopeHealth and the University of South Carolina Brain Health Network Clinic teamed to open the clinic on Monday to address growing needs in the area.

The facility celebrated its opening with a focus on serving residents through early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

The clinic uses a unique approach centered on early identification of cognitive decline. It goal is to cut wait times for specialized care from more than nine months to four to five weeks.

“The earlier that we can get involved with the families and help them with these dementia diagnosis, the better care and services that we can provide and the better outcomes for the patient in the long run,” HopeHealth CEO Carl Humphries said.

Dr. Leonardo Bonilha said approximately 15% of individuals over age 65 in the area are affected by dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

“The evaluation of cognitive functions such as memory, language, so that if there are other things that could be causing dementia, they are picked up early, but also if somebody does have Alzheimer’s disease or has mixed dementia in addition to vascular dementia, etc., that allows for us to quickly support the primary care doctor in making the referral, getting the evaluation faster,” Bonilha said.

The Brain Health Network brings clinics to underserved communities that need specialized care.

“I don’t know that there’s a family in Orangeburg or really across the state that has not been impacted in some way by dementia or Alzheimer’s,” Humphries said.

Early detection is important to connect patients with providers who can help them manage the condition.

The clinic uses a different patient care model that provides faster access to specialists. Patients receive structured assessments and have access to necessary screening tests before seeing specialists.

“At the end of the day, you’re teaching families how to deal better with memory loss,” Humphries said. “You’re teaching the patient how they can function better with memory loss, and so, you know, people can live healthier, more productive lives with memory loss and with dementia and Alzheimer’s through programs like this one.”

The clinic operates with a multidisciplinary team including two physicians, two family nurse practitioners, mental health professionals and social workers. Patients will be helped by a Certified Community Health Worker, Brain Health Speech-Language Pathologist and a nurse practitioner.

The clinic is now officially open.

ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - An Orangeburg County woman is now taking a hotel to court after claiming they caused her to be “held hostage” by her estranged husband.

Records show Latasha Brown filed suit Oct. 24 against the operating parties of the Tru by Hilton in Orangeburg, with multiple people and LLCs linked to the hotel named as defendants.

A representative from Hilton’s corporate office confirmed to WIS on Thursday that the Orangeburg hotel is independently owned and operated.

Brown alleges that after she left her estranged husband in July 2024, he began stalking her and using GPS tracking to find her location. The lawsuit also cites one particular instance where he found her hiding in the trunk of her vehicle.

The lawsuit states Brown would stay in hotels to continue avoiding being stalked. It states that her husband tracked her to a hotel in July 2024 and attempted to confirm whether or not she was staying there and obtain a room key. The hotel did not do so, in a move that the lawsuit said followed industry standards.

On September 20, 2024, however, the lawsuit claims the Tru by Hilton in Orangeburg did the opposite.

It’s alleged Brown switched vehicles with a friend to try and avoid her husband locating her, noting that a GPS tracker was later found on her car.

The lawsuit claims her husband roamed around the hotel for hours before coming to the front desk, where a night auditor reportedly gave him a room key, told him what room Brown was in. According to the lawsuit, this was done without obtaining any form of identification or checking with Brown for authorization.

Brown claims she was “abused and held hostage” in her room for nearly five hours the next morning, with cries for help going unanswered by hotel staff.

“I can’t believe this happened to me at such a reputable hotel,” Brown said.

The lawsuit also alleges others were concerned, including a person staying next to the room Brown was in - but the concerns were not addressed by staff.

The lawsuit goes on to say that Brown was able to convince her husband that she had a work meeting and that her phone was dead - and that if she did not contact someone, police would be called. He also gave her $200 to fix her hair and nails, but Brown claims she ran through the lobby to get to her car after receiving the money.

Brown claims she was able to make it to her friend’s vehicle and eventually got away before flagging down an Orangeburg County deputy’s vehicle. She told the deputy what happened, leading to an investigation.

Tru by Hilton later filed an internal incident report, noted in the lawsuit, that stated security procedures were not followed. The lawsuit also claimed the night auditor “was not truthful” in their account of what happened. Documents go on to state the employee was later fired.

Brown is requesting a jury trial as well as damages.

Brown says her lawsuit is part of a bigger effort to bring safety to domestic violence victims.

“I can’t believe this happened to me at such a reputable hotel,” Brown said.“You think that you’re going somewhere, you’re safe and you’re behind this big heavy door but there’s a key that works and they can give it to anyone if they’re negligent and anything can happen to you once that door opens,” she said. “I do want people to know that we have to make sure that we’re safe, even when we’re working on our exit plans.”

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Deputies say two women are charged after vulnerable adults were found in unsanitary conditions inside a Bowman Branch Highway home in Orangeburg County.

BOWMAN, S.C. — Two women are facing kidnapping and neglect charges after deputies say vulnerable adults were found living in poor conditions inside a home in Orangeburg County.

Deputies said the investigation began after a community health worker raised concerns about the care of several people at a home on Bowman Branch Highway.

An incident report states that the worker told investigators she saw a frail, blind man left on the floor in just a diaper while caregivers stepped over him.

When deputies arrived, they made contact with 19-year-old Octavia Brown, who led them inside.

Investigators said they found residents in unsanitary conditions that included urine on the floor, minimal bedding, dirty clothes, and rooms secured with padlocks that could not be opened from the inside.

The report stated that Brown told a deputy the padlock was in place, so the residents would not walk off.

Paramedics took each of them to MUSC Health Orangeburg for medical care, and the Department of Social Services (DSS) placed them in protective custody.

Investigators said 65-year-old Eula Mae Jones and her granddaughter, 19-year-old Octavia Jamyra Brown, each face five counts of kidnapping and neglect of a vulnerable adult. Both posted $15,000 bond.

The Department of Public Health (DPH) said the home was not licensed as a care facility.

News19 asked DSS if they are placing the patients in a new home.

“The closing of a facility or boarding home may happen for numerous reasons, and ... DSS and Adult Protective Services is willing to assist the residents if they consent along with representatives from the Department of Aging,” the agency said in response.

Authorities said the investigation is ongoing as they continue to determine the full extent of neglect at the home. Code enforcement and the fire marshal are also investigating, with inspectors later condemning the home due to unsafe floors, unsanitary conditions and structural concerns.

County officials called in code enforcement and the fire marshal. Inspectors later condemned the home, citing unsafe floors, unsanitary conditions, and structural concerns.