No Charges Filed Against High School Basketball Brawlers
Remember the brawl that broke out at a Southside High School basketball game in February? The fight that even had some parents throwing punches?
Turns out the appalling behavior will go without official punishment.
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Department has declined to file charges against any of the brawlers from Southside High School or their opponents at Abbeville High.
Greenville County Sheriff’s Lt. Shea Smith said the decision was reached because no victims came forward to file assault reports and administrators at both schools assured investigators the students involved were appropriately punished.
Abbeville suspended eight players from school for five days. Southside disciplined three players.
Sounds like an appropriate punishment for your basic schoolyard fight. But for a melee that nearly devolved into a riot? Not so much.
These kids might not be hardened criminals (yet), but having to stand before a judge might have made them think twice before throwing punches on the basketball court.
Woman Raped in Greer, Say Deputies
A Greer woman was treated at Spartanburg Regional Hospital Thursday night after being kidnapped and raped by two men, according to Spartanburg County deputies.
Deputies said that the victim said she was walking along Biblebrook Drive toward Sunnyglen Drive when a silver or gray, older-model car pulled up next to her. She said the two men inside the car asked her for directions.
The woman told deputies that when she walked up to the car the men pulled her inside the car. She said that the men drove to a dirt road off of Biblebrook Drive, raped her and then drove back to Biblebrook Drive where they put her out of the car.
The woman walked home and called 911.
The alleged assailants were driving a gray or silver older model, four-door Honda, according to the victim. According to Greenville News staff writer Anna Lee:
The woman told investigators that the men were between 25 and 35 years old. One was wearing a gray sweatshirt and the other a long-sleeved yellow shirt. Both wore black tobaggons.
“Tobaggons”? Since I couldn’t find that word in any mainstream or pop culture dictionary, let’s go with Fox Carolina’s report that the men wore “black stocking caps.” But tuck that away for future reference: “tobaggons” is Greenville News-speak for stocking caps.
Please call Spartanburg Crime Stoppers at 58-CRIME if you have any information about this attack.
Wedgy’s Pizza Robbed at Gunpoint
Wedgy’s Pizza on South Pleasantburg Drive in Greenville was robbed at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday night by a man with a gun. Deputies say he made off with cash and fired a shot into the air before exiting the restaurant.
A Greenville County K-9 unit attempted to track the suspect, but were unsuccessful and witnesses were unable to describe the robber in detail.
As always, please call Greenville Crime Stoppers at 23-CRIME if you have any information.
Deputies Nab Man Who Carjacked His Own Grandma
Nothing says rock bottom quite like carjacking your own grandmother. And the Friday night carjacking was just the beginning of the havoc caused in three counties by 20-year-old Brandon Earl Gosnell.
Anderson deputies said they got a call that Gosnell had carjacked his own grandmother. They said he grabbed her by the throat, forced her from her car, robbed her and then drove off toward Spartanburg.
In Spartanburg County, deputies said Gosnell went to a relative’s house near Fingerville Saturday morning. They said he kicked in the door, threw several personal items inside and left.
While he was leaving, two of the men who lived there went outside. Police said Gosnell fired his shotgun at both of them and missed both times.
Deputies said he drove away and then ditched the car and ran off into some woods. They said he found an old red Ford truck in the woods and stole it from a hunter.
Spartanburg County sent out a “be on the lookout” alert, and a few hours later, Anderson County deputies spotted him.
“There was a challenge, there were some shots fired and the suspect was taken into custody and is being treated for apparently non life-threatening injuries,” said Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Daryl Loftis.
The situation ended in Greenville County, just past the county line.
Gosnell faces charges of assault and battery with intent to kill, burglary, and possession of a stolen vehicle charges in Spartanburg County. He will face charges in Anderson County as well.
Update:
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) has charged Gosnell with seven counts of assault with intent to kill. Deputies say he pointed a shotgun at them after the chase. In addition, it is alleged that during his rampage Gosnell fired a shotgun at a group of five firefighters standing in front of the West Pelzer Fire Department. The ACSO has also charged Gosnell with driving under suspension, failure to stop a motor vehicle when signaled by law enforcement, carjacking, and strong armed robbery.
Shocka! Gunfire Reported at Piedmont Manor Complex
Gunshots were reported at the Piedmont Manor housing complex in Greenville Friday afternoon, surprising no one familiar with the drug-infested neighborhood.
Several shell casings were found, said Sgt. Jason Rampey, a police spokesman.
“To our knowledge, no one was hit,” Rampey said. The incident occurred off Old Augusta Road in a neighborhood north of the Donaldson Center.
Rampey said officers found evidence that up to 10 shots were fired, as casings were found in the complex’s parking and other areas.
“But we don’t know if it was a single gunman or an exchange of gunfire,” he said.
No injuries were reported.
In other news, wheels are round and rain is wet.