WILL “GASTON RING” FINALLY BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE?
Earlier this month it was revealed that a major public embezzlement case in South Carolina was finally going to trial – after more than four years. This case involves the town of Gaston, S.C. – which in 2007 began to experience financial difficulties.
The problem? Town officials – including its former mayor – were ripping off the taxpayers, illegally converting public funds for personal use.
Despite the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) wrapping up its investigation of this “Gaston Ring” several years ago – getting confessions from several of the embezzlers – Lexington County Solicitor Donnie Myers has been sitting on the case. In fact several of the embezzlers are now pushing to have the charges dismissed against them as a result of Myers dragging his feet.
Myers, of course, is thick as thieves with the “Lexington Ring,” a cabal of corrupt politicians and crooked cops who have been running an illegal video poker operation based out of Lexington County. That operation is the subject of an ongoing federal investigation.
Who else is allegedly mixed up this business?
Jim Kinard – the former banker for the town of Gaston – and a current member of Lexington County Council.
According to sources familiar with the embezzlement scandal, Kinard was intimately aware of its details – and has been working with Myers and other county leaders to help drag the case out. In fact we’re told that Kinard’s proximity to the “Gaston Ring” is one reason he was recently passed over for a job as a judge.
Kinard is currently fighting to hang onto his county council seat – battling political newcomer Megan Hutto, a petition candidate.
We don’t live in Lexington County – and we rarely involve ourselves in county or municipal races – but we have yet to encounter a single officeholder on “that side of the river” who isn’t rotten to their core. This case is just the latest in a long line of examples – although it is particularly egregious given that a taxpayer-funded investigation appears to have been ignored as part of a deliberate effort to “run out the clock” on an embezzlement prosecution.
Let’s hope the people of Lexington County wise up and throw all of their bums out of office …
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14 comments
“Let’s hope the people of Lexington County wise up and throw all of their bums out of office …”
God, I wish! Unfortunately, we have too many with blinders on who want to see Old Bubber back in office again cause, “I been votin’ for him fer yars and yars, now”.
I detest Nikki Haley, but I am not voting for known crooks just to keep her from having a little real or imagined additional pull in the State House. I am really beginning to believe that Lexington County is just a petri dish sample of what is wrong with this entire country.
It wasn’t that long ago that we laughed at the tax n’ spend Democrats of Richland County and Columbia and how their taxes were always going up. Now we have our own version on County Council with the likes of Johnny Jeffcoat, Debbie Summers, and others. These scum are no different than the Bob Cobles of Richland County. What makes matters worse is that so many of them, like Metts, Summers, Jeffcoat, and Joe Wilson, are running completely unopposed. At a rare time when at least a few voters get to see them for what they really are, we have no one running against these scumbucket parasites who are draining us dry and destroying our way of life.
One party rule ALWAYS leads to corruption. It happened when Democrats ran the state, and it is happening now with Republicans running the state.
Having TWO parties that BOTH have to FIGHT for your vote, and can therefore keep EACH OTHER in check, is the solution.
We have never had that in our entire history, which is why we have been, and remain, so backwards and regressive.
AMEN.
You are very wise!
“Let’s hope the people of Lexington County wise up and throw all of their bums out of office”
1. Rarely does that happen in the recorded history of democratic style elections.
2. When it does happen, you end up simply replacing one corrupt turd with another…who might wait a year or so before engaging in similar shenanigans.
The problem is the authority/power itself. It is a conundrum that will never be solved.
If I don’t start seeing some stainless steel bracelets soon I’m writing my state senator – oh, wait….
All three have entered guilty pleas – so the ‘pushing to have charges dismissed’ thing is quite moot. There have been several articles in The State.
I can’t imagine how this thing took four years to ‘prosecute,’ though.
Oh my, this is gonna push our sol. to drink.
like
DVM has only been drunk twice in his life. Once for 13 years and then the following 36 years.
The Mayor is the least culpable of any of these folks. His total “take” was right at $5000, barely enough to meet the requirements of the statute. He had waived his mayoral salary which exceeded $7500.
shhhh…I can hear the black helicopters rushing in. Another day…another made up false conspiracy
Every area has its share of trash in elected and appointive office, and in hired public positions, but why does Lexington County seem to have so much more than its share?
Straight “R” voting has to aggravate the problem, but can it explain it all?
I know too many nice people in Lexington County to succumb to the “trash elects trash” simplest explanation, and thus remain mystified.
Megan Hutto? Puhleeze……she is a shrill annoying front for her father and the shitty Hutto builders who construct hideous eyesore commercial strip centers.
Now more than 3 months since the Gaston Gang pled quilty and still no date set for sentencing. What is the new latest excuse for the continued delays?