Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts encourages citizens to bring canned goods and other non-perishable food items to the middle school. All non-perishable food items will be given to LICS, which will distribute the food to persons in Lexington County who are in need of assistance.

School Resource Officer Aimee Lutz, who works full-time at the middle school, is coordinating the participation of the Sheriff’s Department in the food drive, Metts said.

The food drive for LICS reflects the Sheriff’s Department mission of providing professional law enforcement services that enhance the quality of life for all people in Lexington County, Metts said.

Sunday evening at about 10:45pm, a male suspect entered the BP Station located on Highway 34 at I-26 with a pistol and demanded money. The suspect took the money from the store and went outside where he robbed a customer of the store at the gas pump.

Witnesses saw the subject run to a vehicle parked on the west bound entrance ramp and then flee the area in the vehicle. No vehicle description is available at this time.

The suspect is described as a white male wearing a red hoodie and blue pants. The subject appears to be approximately 6 foot tall and weighed between 150-200 pounds. The suspect was wearing a mask.

Anyone with any information about this robbery is asked to contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CRIMESC

A substantial reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for this robbery.

You or a responsible adult should always accompany children ages 12 and under when trick-or-treating.

- Ensure costumes fit well, are flame retardant, and never obscure visibility.
- Have your trick-or-treater wear reflective clothing and/or carry a light or glowstick.
- Children over the age of 12 who are responsible enough to go without you, should stay in groups, follow an agreed upon route, and watch for cars.
- Check our website, www.gsco.org , for registered offenders residing in the area.
- Teach your children to never enter any home without you or without your permissions and only approach homes that are well-lit.
- Remind your children to stay in well-lit areas, never take shortcuts, and never go into isolated areas.
- Let your children know to tell you or a trusted adult if they see anything weird or unusual.
- Teach children to bring treats home before eating them. Eat only factory-wrapped treats unless you know the giver well.
- Teach your children to say NO and GET AWAY from any person or situation making them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused; even if it means yelling, kicking, attracting attention or any other means of resisting. Trust their feeling, and be sure to tell a trusted adult.

Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts said detectives arrested Samuel Xavier Guinyard, 22, of  Ermine Road, West Columbia, and Robert Lee Jeridore, 20, of  Ermine Road, West Columbia, on five counts each of breaking into a motor vehicle. Guinyard and Jeridore each were being held on Thursday, October 11 at the Lexington County Detention Center on bail totaling $12,500.

Arrest warrants allege that at about 3:30 a.m. on October 5 Guinyard and Jeridore tried to break into four motor vehicles and broke into one motor vehicle, Metts said. The vehicles were parked at a total of four homes on Flinchum Place.

A witness contacted the Sheriff’s Department on October 5 and reported that two men were going to numerous motor vehicles parked at homes on Flinchum Place, lifting the door handles on the vehicles in order to determine whether they could enter the vehicles, Metts said. After deputies arrived in the neighborhood on October 5, deputies detained Jeridore as Jeridore tried to run away from the officers.

Deputies detained Guinyard on October 5 after they conducted a traffic stop in the neighborhood on a blue 1997 Toyota Camry in which Guinyard was riding as a passenger, Metts said. Officers saw several pairs of sunglasses as well as a car charger and ear buds for an iPod in the car’s back seat. In addition, deputies found several CDs and a large number of coins on Guinyard’s person.

Metts asked anyone with information concerning additional criminal activity involving Guinyard or Jeridore to contact the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department at (803) 785-8230 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Citizens also can provide information anonymously by accessing the Crime Tip link on the Sheriff’s Department web site (www.lexingtonsheriff.com).

Citizens who live on Flinchum Place and had items stolen from their motor vehicles also are asked to contact the Sheriff’s Department so that detectives can return sunglasses and additional stolen property to the rightful owners, Metts said.

Samuel Xavier Guinyard

Robert Lee Jeridore

Alexei Garcia

Garcia is 6-foot and has black hair and brown eyes, Metts said. Garcia, who previously has lived in Florida and Texas, might have fled South Carolina. Officers received information that an indoor marijuana growing operation was being operated at the Ben Franklin Road home, Metts said. After they executed a search warrant at the residence, officers found that marijuana was being grown in one bedroom at the front of the home and a second bedroom at the rear of the home. Officers found 73 marijuana plants, which the officers seized, as well as 30 high-intensity grow lamps and sophisticated electrical equipment, which was used to power the indoor marijuana growing operation, Metts said.

The indoor marijuana growing operation that Garcia operated at the Ben Franklin Road home is connected to sophisticated, large-scale indoor marijuana growing operations that NET officers found earlier this month at seven homes near Batesburg, Gilbert and Leesville, Metts said. In the previous cases, officers arrested seven persons and seized 51 pounds of marijuana, which was packaged for distribution, and 373 marijuana plants, Metts said. The packaged marijuana and marijuana plants had a combined street value of $484,000.

The arrests and seizures of marijuana plants and packaged marijuana resulted from an eight-month undercover investigation that NET officers conducted concerning a large-scale, sophisticated indoor marijuana growing ring that was based at homes in western Lexington County, Metts said. At each home used in the marijuana growing operation, electricity illegally was connected from power poles to the residences, where illicit electricity was used to power a sophisticated system of grow lights and irrigation equipment. Metts said the case remains under investigation, and the sheriff said officers might arrest additional persons. Officers are continuing to investigate where marijuana from the indoor marijuana growing operations was sold and how the marijuana was distributed.

Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts said NET officers have no evidence that the homeowner knew that the seven marijuana plants were being grown in black planting containers in woods behind the unoccupied home. The seven marijuana plants, which NET officers seized, ranged in height from five feet to seven feet tall. The plants were just about ready to be harvested.

Leon Justice

At about 10:37 p.m. on Wednesday, deputies responded to a call concerning the fatal shooting of Justice, who had rented a bedroom for about one year at the Victor Road home, Metts said. Deputies found Justice lying on his back on the floor near the home’s front door. Justice was breathing, but Justice appeared to be unconscious. Rose Lucas, who owns the Victor Road home where Justice lived, told deputies that she was in the kitchen at her home when she heard someone knock on the front door, Metts said. Justice went to the front door and opened the door. Shortly after Justice opened the home’s front door, Lucas told deputies that she heard a bang and saw a flash when two men, who were wearing masks that covered their faces, confronted Justice, Metts said.

Daniel Lucas, who is the son of Rose Lucas and lives at 260 Victor Road, told deputies he saw one of the assailants run across the front yard of his mother’s home and get in a pickup truck, which made a loud noise through its exhaust system as the truck drove off, Metts said. Daniel Lucas said the pickup truck, which was dark in color, might be a Chevrolet truck. Lexington County Emergency Medical Services personnel transported Justice by ambulance to Palmetto Health Richland Hospital, where Justice later was pronounced dead, Metts said.

Metts asked anyone with information about Justice’s death or the identities of the two men and other persons involved in Justice’s death to contact the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department at (803) 785-8230 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Citizens also can provide information anonymously by accessing the Crime Tip link on the Sheriff’s Department web site (www.lexingtonsheriff.com).

J. Creech Construction and Inspection was nominally a company controlled by Gaskins that supposedly performed work at DMV sites and was paid for such work. Gaskins held the position at the DMV that approved completed work by vendors, and she approved the Creech invoices. Gaskins sent procurement paperwork to the DMV on behalf of Creech. She then used her state computer to generate invoices. The checks were sent to Creech through a UPS Store box controlled by Gaskins. Gaskins spent the money on home renovations and paying off her mortgage. Mr. Nettles stated the maximum penalty Gaskins can receive is a fine of $250,000 and/or imprisonment for 10 years, plus a special assessment of $100.

Investigators with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department have arrested Whitney
Deandra Wilson, a black female, 21, of Forest Grove Lane, Columbia with Strong Armed Robbery and 1st Degree Assault. Investigators were able to take still
pictures from the Food Lion video and show them to area businesses and identify Ms. Wilson. Ms. Wilson gave investigators a statement about the incident. Sheriff Metts stated, “This is an excellent example of how successful cooperation between the public can be. The cooperation of Food Lion and other area businesses were essential in the capture of Ms. Wilson.”

Miller and Sherer were being held on Tuesday, August 2 at a pre-trial detention facility off Broad River Road in Columbia that is operated by the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, Metts said. Deputies detained the 15-year-old boy and later released the boy to his mother’s custody, Metts said. Deputies recommended that the 11th Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office prosecute the 15-year-old boy in family court in Lexington County on charges of first-degree burglary, criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of a firearm. Under South Carolina law, Metts said he cannot identify the 15-year-old boy because the boy is a child.

Troy Doss contacted the Sheriff’s Department on July 24 and reported that someone broke into his home at 135 Midge Creek Court and stole $37,000 in cash from a lock box, Metts said. Deputies in the Chapin Patrol District began investigating the break-in. Deputies developed information that the 15-year-old boy used some of the money that was stolen from the home on Midge Creek Court to buy one .38-caliber Smith & Wesson Airweight revolver, Metts said. In addition, deputies developed information that the 15-year-old boy also gave some of the money that was stolen from the home on Midge Creek Court to a 16-year-old boy who lives near Chapin, Metts said. Deputies went to the 16-year-old boy’s home and found a briefcase in the boy’s bedroom that contained $4,000 in cash.

Deputies recovered the .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver that the 15-year-old boy bought, Metts said. Officers found the revolver in woods outside a home that is adjacent to the 16-year-old boy’s home. Deputies determined that the 16-year-old boy hid the revolver in a hole that he then covered up with sticks. Officers seized the revolver as evidence. Deputies determined that Miller used some of the money that was stolen from the home on Midge Creek Court to buy one Kawasaki Pro Circuit dirt motorcycle, one stand for the motorcycle, one Starcross MS2 motorcycle tire, one pair of Motocross goggles, one pair of Motocross pants, one Zstat 500-watt amplifier, one pair of WestC headphones, two XBox video games, one XBox video game controller and one O’Neal MX motorcycle helmet, Metts said. Deputies found all of the aforementioned items at Miller’s home and seized the items as evidence. Metts asked anyone with information concerning additional criminal activity involving Miller, Sherer or the 15-year-old boy to contact the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department at (803) 785-8230 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC. Citizens also can provide information anonymously by accessing the Crime Tip link on the Sheriff’s Department web site (www.lexingtonsheriff.com).