45 Year Sentence
ROBERT GOODWIN, JR.
Man Sentenced To 45 years
In Prison For Home Invasion
Robert Goodwin, Jr., age 29, of Maryland, pleaded guilty Wednesday for his role in the home invasion in Saluda County of the owners of Tidwell Jewelers, Lynda and Danny Tidwell.
Goodwin was sentenced to forty-five (45) years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections by Circuit Court Judge Eugene C. Griffith, Jr., for Burglary First Degree, Armed Robbery, two counts of Kidnapping, and Criminal Conspiracy. Goodwin committed these crimes with his nephew, Abin Lee Lowman, and two others. Goodwin has a previous Manslaughter conviction out of Maryland. Solicitor Rick Hubbard and Assistant Solicitor Sutania Fuller handled the prosecution of this case.
Solicitor Rick Hubbard commented that “this was a horrific, violent crime that robbed the Tidwells of their sense of peace. Their lives will never be the same, but we hope as each of these offender’s cases are resolved, they gain more closure.”
Lowman, who is from South Carolina, drove to Maryland to recruit Goodwin, James Wilson, and Joshua Darien to assist in the home invasion burglary and robbery of the Tidwells. The four men conducted surveillance of the Tidwells for approximately a week prior to the burglary, learning their daily routine and habits. They purchased a handgun in Spartanburg and ammunition from a Walmart in North Augusta. They also bought dark clothing, gloves, walkie-talkies, and zip-ties in preparation for the home invasion.
Shortly after midnight on March 8, 2017, Goodwin, Wilson, and Darien entered the Tidwells’ residence through a back window. Goodwin was armed with a .380 caliber pistol he had stolen from one of the Tidwells’ vehicles. As they entered the residence, they shouted “ATF” and ordered the Tidwells from their bedroom. The three men then forced the Tidwells to lie face-down on the floor and tied their hands behind their backs with zip-ties. The Tidwells were then separated and threatened for information as to valuables in their home. Mr. Tidwell was questioned about the codes and keys to his jewelry store while a gun was pressed to his head. At one point, Goodwin took Mrs. Tidwell’s driver’s license and showed it to Mr. Tidwell, saying “I see your wife is an organ donor. You don’t want her to be donating any organs, do you?” The Tidwells endured this terrifying ordeal for approximately two hours.
As Goodwin, Wilson, and Darien threatened the Tidwells and searched the home, Lowman waited outside on the back porch for the keys to the jewelry store, alarm and safe codes. He then drove to Johnston with the intent to rob the Tidwells’ jewelry store. His plans were interrupted when he was stopped and arrested by the Johnston Police Department for a traffic violation.
Goodwin, Wilson, and Darien stole the Tidwells’ vehicle and drove to Aiken County where they abandoned the vehicle. The three men were also captured on video surveillance together at a local establishment in Aiken. They took jewelry, cash, and other items from the home. Some of the items taken from the home were recovered in Aiken. All three men eventually made it back to Maryland.
The Tidwells were able to free themselves shortly after the men left the residence and seek help from neighbors. The Saluda County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and requested the assistance of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Officers were able to quickly identify all four suspects and Lowman’s vehicle using video surveillance from the Tidwells’ neighborhood and information from a suspicious vehicle report involving all four men that occurred a week prior to the home invasion. In searching Lowman’s car after his arrest in Johnston, law enforcement found Maryland identification cards belonging to Goodwin and Wilson, Goodwin’s cell phone, and ammunition for one of the pistols used in the crime.
Goodwin, Darien, and Wilson were all eventually arrested in Maryland and brought back to South Carolina. They have each pleaded guilty in Federal Court for their role in this crime. Darien’s and Wilson’s state charges are still pending.
Lowman was tried and convicted for these crimes in Saluda County the week of June 18, 2018. He was sentenced to Life without the possibility of parole.
During the night of the crime, Lowman instructed Goodwin and the others to kill the Tidwells if things went wrong. At Goodwin’s sentencing, Mr. Tidwell stated: “If it were not for God Almighty intervening, we would not be here today.”
This case required several agencies working together. We are grateful to the Saluda County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland, Prince George County Police Department in Maryland, Greenville Department of Public Safety, Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office, Johnston Police Department, and Aiken County Sheriff’s Department for their work on this case.
Resource Officers Now At Each District School
2018-2019 School year is here. Sheriff John C. Perry, Saluda District One and Saluda County Council, would like to welcome two new Resource Officers. Lucy Phillips will be located at the Saluda Primary and Elementary school and Leslie Pinckney will be located at Hollywood Elementary. Lee Morris will be at the Saluda Middle School and Chris Crouch at the Saluda High School. All are excited about having a Deputy at each school in District One and look forward to a safe school year. (From left to right pictured above) Lucy Phillips, Leslie Pinckney, Capt. Toby Horne, Sheriff John Perry, Lee Morris and Chris Crouch)
Road Projections
SCDOT’s Safety Programs Project Lists
Proposed for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-2020
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is providing public notification of ranked safety project lists for the: Rural Roads Phase II, Interstate, Non-motorized User (bike/pedestrian), and the Road Safety Assessment Program as part of the Proposed Safety Programs Project Lists for (FY) 2019-2020 for South Carolina.
“Improving safety on the state highway system remains the number one priority for SCDOT” said Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall. “South Carolina has the highest fatality rate in the nation,” she added. The Rural Road Safety Program was established last fall and is a major part of the safety component of SCDOT’s ten-year plan, which was made possible by the additional funding provided by the passage of the “Roads Bill”. Hall said the program identifies the worst of the worst. “This new program targets corridors that comprise only 5% of our network yet represent 30% of the fatal and serious injury crashes occurring on rural roads,” said Hall.
The Chairman of the SCDOT Commission, Dr. Ben Davis said, “The completion of the first year of the ten-year plan saw 187 miles of rural roads under contract to receive much needed targeted safety improvements. This is well ahead of our annual goal of 100 miles. In addition to continuing the Rural Road Safety Program, the Interstate, Non-motorized User, and Road Safety Assessment Programs will help SCDOT continue its efforts to reduce the number of fatal and serious injury crashes that occur on our highways each year.
The purpose of the Proposed Safety Programs Project Lists for (FY) 2019-2020 is described as follows:
· Rural Roads Phase II - the purpose is to improve safety on SC’s rural roadways through engineering solutions identified to reduce the frequency of fatal and serious injury crashes occurring on these roadways.
· Interstate Safety Projects – the purpose is to review Interstate routes where there are the highest occurrence of fatalities and serious injuries. Countermeasures will be applied to reduce the severe and fatal crashes along the Interstate system.
· Non-motorized User (bike/pedestrian) - the purpose is to review the identified locations with high crash rates involving bike/ped and to implement bike/ped related safety strategies to reduce crashes involving non-motorized users.
· Road Safety Assessment Program – the purpose is to review identified locations where there are high frequencies of fatalities and serious injuries. Reviews will include multidisciplinary groups of engineers, local officials and enforcement to determine appropriate countermeasure to reduce the severe and fatal crashes along these sections.
Projects selected are consistent with State law (Act 114), which considers criteria based on objective and quantifiable factors such as: traffic, safety, as well as engineering review for prioritization. Based on Secretary Hall’s recommended approval of these ranked safety project lists, the SCDOT Commission approved funding for the program and placing them out for public comment. Projects that support the agency’s strategic and 10 year plans are essential to its overall operations.
A summary of any substantive comments will be made available to the Commission prior to including the project in a future revision of the STIP.
A copy of this press release (along with interactive maps) is available for public review and comment until August 24, 2018 online at these links: English: https://goo.gl/XeoT2H Spanish: https://goo.gl/ZkW8MJ
Saluda 4-Hers Win Great American
Seafood Cook-off 4-H Division
Four Saluda County 4-H’er won the Great American Seafood Cookoff 4-H division in New Orleans over the weekend. They competed against teams for Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Geroge and Tennessee. Making up the team were Laken Fulmer, AllieTrotter, Lindsey Scott and Ginger Wertz. While there,they got to meet cooking legend Paula Deen (bottom photo). Tope phote, L to R,Ginger Wertz, Allie Trotter, Laken Fulmer, Lindsay Scott and Ronette Trotter. More onthe competitoin late. (Photos by Ronette Trotter)
Clipping Surprise
Surprising Find!
John White came across this old newspaper clipping recently that featured his son John Mac, and Russell Gentry of Saluda at a Tri-County Junior Golfers event for 8-12 year olds. When John read the cutline, he was shocked to discover that one of the kids in the photo was Dustin Johnson, the current number one ranked professional golfer in the world. Also, in the photo is another future Dutch Fork High graduate, who went on to the PGA, Wesley Bryan. Bryan is known as a YouTube golf trick shot artist, but he also became the first S.C. native to win the Heritage Classic at Hilton Head last year.
South Carolina Department of Education
Releases Annual Student Dropout Report
Columbia, S.C. - The South Carolina Department of Education today released the statewide Report on Student Dropout Rates for the 2016-2017 school year.
The overall state dropout rate increased from 2.3 percent during the 2015–16 school year to 2.4 percent during the 2016–17 school year. The dropout rate for grades 9 through 12 declined in 52 of the 84 districts from 2015-16 to 2016-17.
”Students who are engaged and see the relevance in what they are learning will show up to class on time and not drop out.,” said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman of Saluda. “I challenge our teachers, schools, and districts to find students’ passions and offer them opportunities so that they can be successful. If we do this, our graduation rates will continue to climb and our dropout rate will get even lower.”
The Report on Student Dropout Rates is an annual data collection process that reports students who leave school during a twelve-month period including those who leave over the summer. The process allows those who re-enroll during the collection period and remain in school to be excluded from the count.
Saluda County Schools had nine dropouts in the ages 13-14, 14 in ages 14-15, 17 in ages 15-16, and 16 in ages 16-17.
The 13-14 was 1.6 percent, below the state average of 2.7. The 14-15 category was slightly below the state average 2.4 to 2.5, but the 15-16 and 16-17 were above the state, 2.8 to 2.3 and 2.5 to 2.4, respectively.
The male dropout rate was below the state average for 13-14 year old, but above for the other three category. The biggest disparity is in the 15.-16 age group, where the percentage was 3.7 for Saluda, but only 2.7 for the state.
Female dropouts were below the state average for 14-15 and 15-16, and above for the other two.
The white dropout percentage was well below the state average for 13-14 and 14-15, and slightly above for 15-16, `16-17.
The non-white rate was the same as the state in the 13-14 and 16-17 ages, but well above the state in the 14-15, 4.7 to 2.6, and 3.0 to 2.2.
The non-white rate was the same as the state in the 13-14 and 16-17 ages, but well above the state in the 14-15, 4.7 to 2.6, and 3.0 to 2.2.
The white female dropout rate was well below the state average inn 13-14, 0.7 to 2.3; 14-15, 0.0 to 2.1; 15016, 1.3 to 2.1; and above in the 16-17, 2.3 to 2.0.
Non-white females were above the state average in 13-14, 5.0 to 1.9; 14-15, 3.5 to 1.0; 15-16, 1.9 to 1.6; and the same in the 16-17, 1.9.
The white male rate was below the state average in 13-14, 0.0 to 2.9; 14-15, 0.0 to 2.9; and above the state average in 15-16, 3.3 to 2.7; and 16-17, 2.7 to 2.6.
The non-white male dropout rate was below the state average in the 13-14, .06 to 3.1, and 16-17, 3.0 to 3.1; but above in the other three age groups: 14-15, 5.6 to 3.2; and 15-16, 4.0 to 2.8.
Sales Tax Holiday to Give Small
Businesses a Much-Needed Boost
COLUMBIA, July 30, 2018—NFIB State Director Ben Homeyer says this weekend’s sales tax holiday on clothes, school supplies, and computers should give a boost to South Carolina’s small businesses. The sales tax holiday because Friday and ends Sunday.
“Hopefully, it will be a big weekend for small businesses,” Homeyer said. “When you combine the savings of the sales-tax holiday with the usual back-to-school sales, you’re going to help people get a bigger bang for their buck.”
NFIB is encouraging people to support local businesses by shopping small this weekend, Homeyer said. “When you shop at small, locally-owned businesses, you’re helping your friends and neighbors,” he said. “You’re supporting the businesses that support our schools and charities and create jobs in our communities.”
To learn more about South Carolina’s sales tax holiday, visit the Department of Revenue’s website at https://dor.sc.gov/taxfreeweekend.
NFIB is the nation’s leading small business association. To learn more about NFIB in South Carolina, visit www.NFIB.com/SC and follow @NFIB_SC on Twitter.
Tops in State
Named Top State Ducks Unlimited Chapter
The Saluda County Chapter of Ducks Unlimited was recognized at the South Carolina Ducks Unlimited State Awards Gala on July 14, 2018, in Charleston, SC.
The Saluda County Chapter was awarded the 2017 Top Chapter in South Carolina and the 2017 National Chapter of Excellence.
The Saluda County Chapter would like to thank all of the DU volunteers as well as all of the dedicated sponsors. If you are interested in joining Ducks Unlimited please contact a committee member, or look us up on Facebook.
Pictured left to right; Allison Quattlebaum, Jesse Quattlebaum, Tanner Quattlebaum, Brandon Padgett, Hailey Padgett, and Ethan Forrest.
Meets Famous Sound Engineer
Marvin Bernstein (left), 103, of Saluda had a great evening Thurs., July 19.
Bob Heil, “Heil Sound,” (right) was a speaker at the Dutch Fork- Little Mountain Amateur Radio Club. He became a Ham operater at age 15 and said his love of Ham radio, the knowledge he gained from being a Ham operator and the different people that came into his life through Ham radio led him into his career as a sound engineer.
He toured with The Grateful Dead, The Who, Jeff Beck & Joe Walsh to name a few. His company Heil Sound supplies sound equipment for many of today’s artists including Carrie Underwood.
He was invited to exhibit at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. If you visit Hall of Fame, and you get to the Heil Sound room, the sign mentions Ham Radio, per Mr. Heil’s request.
Harvest Festival 2018 Update
The Harvest Festival planning is in fifth gear heading down the stretch. We have a NEW website (www.ridgespringharvestfestival.com) for everyone to visit and find the necessary participation forms and sponsorship/advertising information. We would like to thank all of the sponsors that have contributed so far and want to remind all of the businesses that we can only fund the Harvest Festival with their sponsorship dollars. The top sponsor will be the parade grand marshal this year and will have a prominent spot on our website and booklet.
Ridge Spring Harvest Festivalwww.ridgespringharvestfestival.comCome celebrate the harvest at Ridge Springs 34th Annual Harvest Festival. Ridge Spring is a small town located in the heart of what locals call The Ridge Region of South Carolina.
We have at least six BBQ teams signed up for the BBQ Battle for the Ridge. The top four BBQ cook teams at the top of the points standings will be at our competition this year! There will be a ceremony for the former BBQ King of Ridge Spring where their flag will be lowered, folded and presented to the team during the awards.
Top prize this year... $1000, a trophy and the team’s flag flown above the town for a year! Spaces are limited and there are early sign up incentives for teams to save money.
The Miss Harvest Festival Beauty Pageant is making it’s return to prime time September 22nd. For more information please check our website and the pageant will have it’s own Facebook page coming soon.
See y’all at the Harvest Festival, Saturday, October 13th!