Remind Me Not to Get Old in Spartanburg
Apparently assisted living communities are dens of thieves! Here’s a tip for hiring people if you’re ever in that position – if they look like a greasy street walker or an amateur porn star you might want to keep them away from temptation. Also women who bounce checks and get caught on possession beefs will only pay off if lap dances are part of the job description.
No offense to the three dancers who read Greenville Dragnet, but c’mon, you guys know what I’m talking about:
The sad thing is that, if I understand this story right, the one with the raps sheet actually wasn’t the thief. Sorry Tammy, we’ll keep our eyes open for any positions you’re qualified for.
Body Found in Woods Finally Identified as Drifter from Wisconsin
Police had trouble identifying the body of a man found dead in the woods by I-26 six weeks ago because he was a drifter from Wisconsin with no known ties to South Carolina. It’s assumed he was just passing through:
From The State:
NEWBERRY, S.C. — Authorities in South Carolina say it took them six weeks, but they have finally determined the identity of a body found in woods just off Interstate 26.
Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said Wednesday that 37-year-old Keith Richard Konkol was a drifter born in Wisconsin, who lived for a while in Florida and most recently had been seen in Kingsport, Tenn.
Foster says Konkol had no ties to South Carolina, which made it hard to figure out who he was after his body was found June 14.
The sheriff says Konkol was traveling with another man from Florida to Tennessee when he died in his sleep along I-26 from an overdose of painkillers and other prescription drugs.
The man told deputies he panicked, dragged Konkol’s body into the woods and left it.
On Woodruff Road near the Mauldin/Greenville border there are quite a few drifters who panhandle by the exits, and while hiking around I’ve seen plenty of evidence of makeshift camps in the more deserted areas of office parks. The economic situation has produced a new wave of unemployed and homeless men who have nothing to do but make their way through the country. I’m afraid we’re going to get used to finding dead hobos in the coming years.
Victimless Crime File: Shotgun Wielding Man Believed Clowns Were Attacking Home in Wisconsin
As it turns out the man was high so there were no clowns, but plenty of mayhem:
Police responded early Friday to a call of shots fired at a home in Roberts and found a man apparently hallucinating an attack by clowns.
The 40-year-old man, armed with a shotgun, had fired several shots in his mother’s home. It also appeared that he fired a shot at his mother and visiting father as they fled from the home in a vehicle, said St. Croix County Sheriff Dennis Hillstead.
“Pellets probably hit their windshield,” Hillstead said.
Police arrived about 4 a.m. and surrounded the home. The man came to the door at one point and was “yelling at what he could see in the yard, but there was nothing there,” Hillstead said.
The man went back into the home and fired more rounds, Hillstead said. In total, about 22 shotgun rounds were fired into the walls and ceiling of the home.
The man then went to the porch with the shotgun in hand and a bag of ammunition around his neck. He did not respond to police commands, but after the man slipped and fell, deputies were able to take him into custody, Hillstead said.
While being taken to a hospital for examination, the man indicated he had taken a hallucinogenic drug. He said he believed that people dressed as clowns were attacking his mother’s home and that he had shot and killed a number of them, Hillstead said. He also said he had shot dogs that were attacking him and that his mother had been shot and killed.
“He was … not in touch with reality,” Hillstead said.
Yeah, that’ll happen when you’re tripping. Is it just me or is there something especially sad about a 40-year-old man getting high alone in his mother’s house?
Wisconsin, I should point out, is home to a large Juggalo population. Did he have a bad experience earlier in the day with some clown painted passerbys or is he a “hater” as the Juggalos say? Clearly he isn’t “down with the clown” as they say.
Since no one was hurt it looks like he’ll be in a psych ward until he’s clean then he’ll get probation or a fine. So Juggalos be warned, there’s a clown killer on the loose!
Man, if only drugs were legal this wouldn’t have happened, right guys?
Word on the Street: “Rampant Drug Use” at Hollingsworth Park at Verdae
The Hollingsworth Park at Verdae development promises home owners a quaint village that Norman Rockwell might fine saccharin. Ultimately the town within a town will include not only high end housing for the newcomers to South Carolina but shops and other amenities that will guarantee those rich transplants won’t have to mingle overmuch with the rest of the hoi polloi. The average price for a home there will be $500,000.
All in all it is an idyllic, insular community. Or it will be when it’s finished.
And therein lies the problem. Half finished homes and a park that was built prior to the project being completed (and which is open to the public, a deal the developers made with the city in exchange for some tax breaks I hear) make Hollingsworth little more than an isolated playground for anyone looking for privacy after dark. A tipster emailed me to claim that the majority of people making use of the area are getting high. The term that was used was “rampant drug use.”
I decided to check out the park section myself yesterday for evidence that this is true. While taking a stroll with the Mrs. I did see a dime bag or two laying around, but frankly these days I’m sure you find dime bags everywhere.
Not that you’re supposed to be there after dark, but if you are it’s worth noting that you may run into people under the influence of various substances. It’s also likely that as more people realize how much privacy the area affords it will become either a “cruising” spot (where gay men troll for anonymous sex) or a hot spot for prostitution.
“Coyote” Safe House Found in Greenville?
S.W.A.T. teams were called out to a house in Greenville County after a hostage situation was called into police. After a stand off ALL seven people found in the house were detained and police will not release their names or anything but the most basic information.
SLED officers told WSPA that the bust was related to the “growing drug trade’ in the area:
A hostage situation unfolded as SLED agents rushed to the scene.
In the end–more than half a dozen people were taken into custody–in what agents say is part of a growing drug trade in the Upstate.
This all unfolded on Sulfar Springs drive in Berea this afternoon.
News Channel 7 was the only news crew at the scene.
Agents handcuffed 7 people, taking them into custody.
The director of SLED tells us they got word this morning that three people were being held hostage inside the home.
SLED isn’t able to say how they were alerted to the hostage situation.
When swat team members and agents got there–a standoff ensued until the suspects inside surrendered.
Agents are still trying to determine who is who amongst those in the house. And they can’t yet give identities or where the suspects are from.
Significantly, while weapons were found at the house no drugs have been reported. Human smugglers are often also involved in drug smuggling so these thugs may have gotten on to LE radar during drug investigations. It is a common practice for “coyotes” to hold people who contracted with them to hostage for extra cash. It is especially likely when the illegals are young women, who the smuggling gangs force into prostitution.
WSPA has raw video of the arrests.The house was on Sulfar Spring Drive in Berea.
Word on the street is that a bad apple looking for drugs or hookers turned Good Samaritan when he or she saw what was going on.
Also a rumor Dr. Know sent me is that MS-13 has been smuggling illegals into South Carolina for years and have moved into Greenville County. I found a 2006 story from WIS10 which details Richland county’s problems with the gang and they are very active in North Carolina.
But again these are just rumors for now. We’ll keep digging.