Terrence Dale Williams Jr. Kills Himself to Avoid Prison
Terrence Dale Williams was about to be picked up by police in connection with a string of armed robberies of pizza delivery workers. Like an old school gangster he was never taken alive:
GREER, S.C. — Police say a man accused of holding up three pizza delivery drivers in South Carolina shot and killed himself as sheriff’s deputies surrounded him.
Multiple media outlets reported that 27-year-old Terrence Dale Williams Jr. of Greer shot himself in the chest Thursday night as Greenville County sheriff’s deputies closed in on his car.
Deputy Matthew Armstrong says it appeared Williams was about to get out when he shot himself before officers could intervene.
Armstrong says deputies did not fire at Williams and he didn’t shoot at them.
Sheriff Steve Loftis has asked the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate.
Williams was named in warrants in armed robberies of three pizza deliverers since Jan. 18.
Deputies got a tip he was in Taylors and went to arrest him when the shooting occurred.
Seems extreme but the way I read South Carolina law he was going to get a minimum of 10 years per robbery which is a long time since he just pulled a “string” of robberies. Am I mistaken on this? Maybe one of those anonymous lawyer friends of Bobby Caples can take time out of threatening people with frivolous lawsuits to let me know.
WYFF has details:
“Greenville County deputies received information that Williams was at a family member’s house on Lauren Wood Circle in the Taylors area,” said Matt Armstrong, public information officer of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office.
He said deputies arrived at the scene at about 7:05 p.m. When they recognized the vehicle in the home’s driveway as the one for which they had been searching, they approached the car and ordered Williams to step out of the car.
“Investigators heard a fire arm discharged,” Armstrong said.
He said deputies did not fire any shots.
Armstrong said the sheriff has asked the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to run a parallel investigation to make sure that there are no doubts about what happened to the alleged robber.
All the robbery incidents occurred within the last week and a half.
Pizza delivery workers all over the state just breathed a sigh of relief. It’s just too bad Williams didn’t think about how bad he didn’t want to go to jail prior to robbing innocent people.
Thief Pillages Gym on Wade Hampton Blvd.
People working out at a local gym on Jan. 6 returned to the locker room to find their belongings ransacked by a thief who slipped past security. The thefts occurred at Z-X Fitness, formerly Peak Fitness, on Wade Hampton Boulevard.
According the reports, the thief took the cards and used them at several local businesses. “These individuals, they work around the system,“ says Deputy Matt Armstrong with the Greenville Sheriff’s Office. “They know what kind of businesses to target, or vehicles to target. They acquire the cards, and they they go use them right away before the victim cancels the card.“
Surveillance cameras did catch a good shot of the thief, but not before ripping off at least three victims.
More than a week later, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office deputies are still searching for the thief. If you have any information, please call Crimestoppers at (864) 23-CRIME.
Man Attacked Behind Chick-Fil-A in Taylors
A man was reportedly assaulted Monday evening while walking behind a Chick-Fil-A on Wade Hampton Blvd. in Taylors.
The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office says the assault happened around 7:30 behind the Chick-Fil-A, located at 2801 Wade Hampton Boulevard. A Sheriff’s Office spokesman says that the man appeared to be walking from a nearby trailer park when he was attacked by a man.
The assailant is described as “a black male wearing a “Starter” jacket,” according to News Channel 7. He fled in a 1989-1990 Toyota Camry.
Armed Robbery at Willis Grocery In Taylors
A Taylors convenience store was the target of an armed robbery Friday afternoon. Two men demanded cash from the clerk at Willis Grocery on East Lee Road before fleeing on foot, deputies said. News Channel 7 reports:
Deputies began searching the area, and put nearby Brook Glenn Elementary on lockdown. The men have yet to be found.
Deputies have not released a detailed description of the suspects yet.
Armed convenience store robberies are such a common occurrence in Greenville lately, it might be more newsworthy if we stuck to reporting when they don’t happen.
Kathryn Isbell Falsely Reported Sexual Assault, Deputies Say
The Taylors woman who reported being sexually assaulted while walking her dog in the Pebble Creek subdivision last month has been charged with filing a false felony report. Kathryn Elizabeth Isbell alleged that a mysterious man assaulted her on Nov. 10 and threatened to kill her if she reported the incident. But after spending “a great deal of time” working the case, investigators found numerous discrepancies in Isbell’s story.
A release from the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said Kathyrn Elizabeth Isbell, 23, was accompanied by her attorney when she turned herself in to authorities on Tuesday.
Greenville County sheriff’s Lt. Shea Smith said, “Our investigators were able to determine through the course of their investigation that this incident did not happen, and thus, that’s what led to the charges being filed today.
“They were able to look at the evidence that was collected in the case, as well as the information obtained from witnesses — people that had knowledge of this particular incident and based on that information — they were able to make that determination … At this time, we do not know what the motive may have been,” he said.
Kathryn Isbell was arraigned Tuesday afternoon and is expected back in court on Feb. 26, 2010.
When a Hofstra University student filed a false rape report earlier this year, there was significant media attention given to the chilling effect false rape claims can have on legitimate victims of sexual assault. False accusations are often not prosecuted because of the concern that future victims will be afraid to come forward.
But we are a nation of laws, and those laws must be respected. It appears that Kathryn Isbell thumbed her nose at the law and wasted the valuable time and resources of the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office. She should be prosecuted accordingly.