Comments on: SC Cemetery Sex Scandal Deepens

By: Evaray107

Evaray107 — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:16:40 +0000

VIEHARIS’s mistake is focusing on skin color. I have been a government worker most of my life, much in criminal justice support, and the color that matters is GREEN.

Your ability to get off is a simple math formula:

Political power * wealth * commissioned officer = likelihood of getting away with crap.

By: Why South Carolina? « Smirkdirk's Blog

Why South Carolina? « Smirkdirk's Blog — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:37:16 +0000

[...] In the meantime, keep up the stereotypes, keep up the armpit metaphors – and to our dear South Carolina politicians, keep up the sex scandals whether they be in Argentina or with prostitutes in cemeteries with dildos. [...]

By: Objective Observer

Objective Observer — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:56:13 +0000

56-5-2930 is the D.U.I. statute, and is enforceable on private property. I agree Corning was up to no good but to make a criminal charge just because of who he is and where he was with an 18 year old stripper would have been a chicken @#$% charge. I’m sure that Columbia probably has several ordinances he could have been charged with breaching. Calling his wife probably would have been enough of a kick in the @##!

By: Purplefiend

Purplefiend — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:03:29 +0000

BADGE = PENIS SUBSTITUTE

By: Mike at the beach

Mike at the beach — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:41:16 +0000

Couple of things-

I don’t know who reposted my earlier comment with the added line about somebody being my “favorite blogger,” but it wasn’t me. That’s an interesting hobby…

Although I’ll never get this five minutes back, I feel compelled to address a few mistaken comments made here in regard to the legal issues attendant to the big graveyard caper.

First, here in SC the offense of Reckless Driving most certainly does apply to private property. Not only has our AG (ironic, no?) rendered opinions in this regard as far back as the mid-seventies, but our legislature clarified it for us by stating simply that, “the provisions of Articles 9 and 23 shall apply upon highways and elsewhere throughout the State.” SC’s Reckless Driving statute (§56-5-2930) is found in Article 23.

In regard to resisting, there’s more than one way to skin that cat. As a City of Columbia officer, Wines has the entire City Code or Ordinances from which to pull in addition to SC State law. Like most cities, Cola law restricts several different types of resisting at much lower levels than State law.

For example, §10-34 states that, “It shall be unlawful for any person to interfere with or molest a police officer in the lawful discharge of his duties.”

Attempting to field interview a suspect is one of those “duties,” and spinning your tires the hell outta there would probably “interfere” with all that…

§10-36 makes it “unlawful for any person in the city to willfully and knowingly fail or refuse to stop when signaled, hailed or commanded to stop by a police officer or other officer of the city.”

I wasn’t there, but I bet at some point the officer either activated his lights or verbally ordered Corning to stop. If not, then the fact that Corning’s speedy retreat was contemporaneous to Wines’ arrival was merely coincidental. Could be, I guess, so…

Check this out…

§14-212. Inviting or enticing persons for immoral purpose.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to invite, entice or solicit any person upon any public place in the city to accompany, go with or follow him for the purpose of engaging in prostitution or any other lewd or lascivious act.

(b) For the purpose of this section, a “public place” shall mean an area generally visible to public view and includes streets, sidewalks, bridges, alleys, plazas, parks, driveways, parking lots, automobiles (whether moving or not), and those portions of buildings open to the general public, including those which serve food or drink or provide entertainment, and the doorways and entrances to buildings or dwellings and the grounds enclosing them.

There are others, but you get the point.

So here we are, according to the State’s rendition of the CPD report:

- Corning’s vehicle was spotted in an area with a history of problems (sex acts, drug abuse).
- The vehicle speeds away upon sighting the officer, spinning tires in the process.
- Once stopped by other officers, they get conflicting statements from the two occupants.
- The consensual search of the vehicle reveals “sex toys” and some kind of prescription sex enhancement drug.
- The passenger was an 18 year-old employee of a local adult club.

I bet some judge somewhere would have taken all of that into consideration as part of the required probable cause for some misdemeanor City ticket. Ditto a Reckless ticket.

My only point here is this- to say that there’s nothing that could have been done is just plain disingenuous. It was within the officer’s discretion to make a case or decline to do so; it was his call to make and he made it. Wines didn’t do anything wrong, Corning did. Just don’t say that nothing could have been done.

By: Lichtig

Lichtig — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:07:00 +0000

RBB has it right. There was no crime here. Mr. Corning’s punishment is plenty. Someone will probably file a grievance against the poor SOB over this–actually, probably a number of folks who are incarcerated will do so. He will be dealing with those for a long time.

Stupid mistake, yes. Prosecutable offense, no.

By: What the ####?

What the ####? — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:12:34 +0000

“VIEHARIS” Furthermore, there were several white men hit by patrol cars but the main stream media chose not to show those to keep the racial flames burning. The last one they showed, when the patrol car chased the black man through the apartment complex and hit him; the trooper was black. The media, for some reason failed to mention that little detail. You also mentioned the police beating the Black man half to death; if you will remember the truck driver in Sumter county in 2006 who was repeatedly kicked in the head on video was white and so was the trooper SHOCKER, no not really. When these crooks and hoods lead police on high speed chases and do stupid crap sometimes the police officers lose control because they are human just like you and me. It usually has nothing to do with what color they are. You said in your comment that Roland S. Corning and the girl had sex in the cemetery. I never heard or read where they actually had sex. That might have been the plan but the officer’s report stated that the car pulled off almost as soon as it arrived due to the patrol car being sighted by him. You claimed that our Lt. Gov. was drunk and driving on the wrong side of the road and nothing was done. I only know of two incidents, one in 2003 and one in 2006 where he was stopped for speeding not D.U.I. You mentioned a white politician buying cocaine from a black drug dealer. You claim the Politician got off with a slap and the Black drug dealer got the max. This is what I found on the subject. The following came from WLTX19 archives. Thomas Ravenel was the SC state treasurer. “The indictments accuse Ravenel, 44, and Michael Miller, 25, of distributing less than 500 grams of cocaine starting in late 2005. They’re officially indicted on charges of conspiracy to possess and intent to distribute.”

Officials say Ravenel bought the drugs from Miller to share with other people. U.S. Attorney Reggie Lloyd says Ravenel didn’t sell any of the drugs. Lloyd says the investigation is just beginning. Both men face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. This is what the outcome was: Updated Friday March 14, 2008 5:06pm

“According to breaking reports from wltx.com, former state treasurer Thomas Ravenel was sentenced late this afternoon to 10 months in prison and ordered to pay $221,323 in fines. Ravenel was also ordered to enter a substance abuse program and enter a mental health program, if it is deemed neccessary. According a report released in The State, Michael Miller, the co-defendant of former state treasurer Thomas Ravenel, was sentenced to ten months in prison and three years of supervised release for guilty plea to two federal drug charges.” Michael, the BLACK MAN did not even pay a fine. Ravenel lost his job, Michael’s job was selling dope. What about the mayor of Atlantic Beach Retha Peirce. She seems to have a Teflon coat. Her charges and arrest include ” Hit and Run at a traffic accident, Leaving the scene of an accident, Trespass, D.U.I. and resisting arrest;” and she is still the mayor of Atlantic Beach. People get tired of seeing the race card played constantly, I know I do. This subject had nothing to do with race until your comment was posted. I’m sure there are people that are racist in all areas of our society, rich, poor, white collar, blue collar but it also works both ways. There is just as much reverse discrimination and racism floating around. Mostly what you mention in the end of your comment is the Back scratching and palm greasing system. The only color that is a factor is green, MONEY. Perfect example O.J. Simpson. Rep. Joe Wilson called the President of the United states of America a liar. I agree that was stupid, impulsive, embarrassing to him, the president and South Carolina. Wilson later apologized for his comments. I also agree with you on Chief Justice Toal on the hit and run issue. Those last two comments are the only ones you made that had a shread of truthful factual information. The rest is basically emotionally charged misinformation or bald face lies; only you can answer that question. Everything I wrote can be verified through the use of the web.

By: What the ####?

What the ####? — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:09:33 +0000

The other news agencies have been reporting that the 18 year old girl is a stripper at a local club. I haven’t read one thing that was criminal. The police officer at best had reasonable suspicion. I did not read of one solid probable cause fact or reason to make a traffic stop. He did not clock the vehicle speeding, spinning the tires or speeding by law does not constitute reckless driving. He had a prescription for the “sex enhancing” drug. He was on a public road at a cemetery. The last time I checked it was not against the law to have sex toys in your vehicle. The police officer called the A.G.s office to confirm weather or not Corning worked there. I agree that he was involved in inappropriate behavior but I saw nothing criminal. I read a few comments that suggested the officer should have arrested Corning any way. The police officer is responsible to make sure has justification and evidence to prosecute the person charged; not to mention the possibility of being sued for civil rights violations and false arrest.
VIEHARIS how did this become racial??

By: Red Bank Bar

Red Bank Bar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:58:37 +0000

It wasn’t trespassing. The land wasn’t posted. Reckless driving has to be on the public highways, not private property. You have to know you’re under arrest to resist arrest.

No one at the AG’s office told Wines not to arrest Corning. Again, what’s the probable cause for what alleged crime?

I repeat, what a bunch of dumb arses led by the dumb arse in chief here at fitz.

By: Todd

Todd — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:25:38 +0000

Rick Sanchez, CNN has been bashing South Carolina about this all afternoon.