by WILL FOLKS
***
Citizens are safe when violent criminals are held accountable by police, prosecutors and judges. They’re even safer when these law enforcement and court institutions are held accountable to the public.
It’s incredibly simple… or at least it was.
In South Carolina, this system has been turned on its head… with violent criminals continually benefitting from a “catch-and-release” approach to justice. This institutionalized, accountability-averse mentality keeps communities under constant threat of danger, destruction and death – incentivizing violence and imperiling our way of life.
When you live in a world with no consequences, don’t be surprised when criminals act as though they are immune to them.
FITSNews has spent much of its existence fighting to reform this broken system – and our perpetual public shaming of certain judges, prosecutors and the politicians enabling them has had some impact in moving the needle. Some impact. Unfortunately, big ticket reforms have remained elusive at the S.C. State House – and the “catch-and-release” model rolls on.
***
Thankfully, in many cases federal authorities have been standing in the gap – stepping in and filing federal firearm charges against certain defendants who have been perpetually coddled at the state level. This week, U.S. attorney Bryan Stirling announced another such victory – the sentencing of 33-year-old Devron Jakell Duncan.
Previously convicted for domestic violence, kidnapping and a gun charge, Duncan was prohibited as a result of these convictions from owning or possessing a firearm or ammunition.
Nonetheless, in the early morning hours of February 15, 2023, officers of the University of South Carolina Police Department (USCPD) patrolling the Five Points region of Columbia, S.C. initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Duncan which revealed him to be in violation of that condition.
“Duncan refused the officer’s commands to stay in the vehicle, pushed the officer, and ran,” a release from Stirling’s office noted. “After apprehending Duncan, USCPD officers searched the area and found a loaded 9 mm pistol that Duncan had tossed. Further investigation revealed that Duncan’s girlfriend was the purchaser of the gun and had previously told law enforcement that Duncan stole the gun from her residence.”
Duncan was sentenced by chief U.S. district court judge Sherri Lydon to thirty-three (33) months in federal prison – followed by a three-year term of supervised release. As there is no parole in the federal system, he will serve every day of his sentence.
***
RELATED | DETENTION ORDERED FOR MURDER SUSPECT
***
Duncan’s case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program which brings together all levels of law enforcement – and the communities they serve – in an effort to reduce violent crime and gun violence. According to Stirling’s office, the program is “tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges.”
Sadly in South Carolina, a persistent “public safety challenge” is the repetitive leniency shown to violent offenders by state-level prosecutors and judges.
To be clear: Duncan is by no means the worst of the worst. In fact, it could be argued his criminal history is significantly less egregious than many of those who habitually elude accountability in the Palmetto State.
Still, he is a convicted felon who broke the law… and the consequences he is now facing as a result of his lawlessness are entirely appropriate. Now, if we could only get state prosecutors and judges to commit to imposing similar consequences – as opposed to patting violent criminals on the back each time they traverse the revolving door of our state-level system of “justice.”
Maybe then we could materially move the needle on public safety in the Palmetto State…
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
***
SOUND OFF…
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
