S.C. Highway Patrol - Special Report

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March trial date set for state trooper on federal charge

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009
COLUMBIA — A federal judge has ordered a South Carolina state trooper caught on video trying to run down a suspect to either plead guilty or stand trial on the charges.
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State trooper expected to plead guilty

Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009
COLUMBIA — A South Carolina state trooper caught on video bumping a suspect with his patrol car is expected to plead guilty to a federal civil rights charge, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Lance Cpl. Alexander Richardson, 46, was charged this week with a misdemeanor offense of violating civil rights by using excessive force, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald said.
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Ex-S.C. trooper pleads guilty

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009
COLUMBIA — A former S.C. trooper caught on video kicking a suspect in the head after a highway chase pleaded guilty Monday to violating the man's civil rights, according to federal court documents.
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Cleared S.C. trooper sues AG for legal fees

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008
COLUMBIA — A white South Carolina state trooper cleared by a jury of a civil rights charge after he struck a fleeing black suspect with his patrol car has sued state Attorney Henry McMaster over his legal fees Tuesday.
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Lawyer: Man hit by accident

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008
COLUMBIA — The attorney for a state trooper charged with violating a suspect's civil rights for running into him with his cruiser says it was an "unavoidable accident." "It's tough on him and his family," defense attorney John O'Leary said Wednesday at a pre-trial hearing. "It's been devastating."
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Man kicked by state trooper sues

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
COLUMBIA — A New York man kicked repeatedly by a state trooper during his arrest is suing him and the Public Safety Department.
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Second state trooper indicted

Friday, July 18, 2008
COLUMBIA — A former state trooper could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for repeatedly kicking a New York man in the head after the man led troopers on a high-speed chase in his dump truck, according to a federal indictment handed down Thursday.Then-Lance Cpl. John B. Sawyer unnecessarily struck and kicked Sergio Caridi in the head several times after Caridi was hit with a stun gun and as he was being restrained by officers in a May 2006 incident on Interstate 95 in Sumter County.
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Highway patrolman indicted

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
COLUMBIA — A state trooper who hit a fleeing suspect with his car has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a civil rights violation charge in what may be the first of several cases against highway patrolmen. Trooper Steve C. Garren, 39, of Greenwood, could face up to a $250,000 fine and 10 years in prison for striking a man with his cruiser and later telling other officers, "I nailed the f--- out of him. ... I was trying to hit him."
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Seeing might not be believing

Thursday, May 1, 2008
It's as good as a smoking gun to some people: The video shows a state trooper hitting a fleeing suspect with his cruiser, then records him telling other officers that "I was trying to hit him."
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Files detail trooper misdeeds

Saturday, April 26, 2008
COLUMBIA — The files paint a portrait of an agency with troubles: state troopers abusing suspects, stealing equipment, taking money from Hispanic motorists and sabotaging in-car video cameras to hide their actions. These internal affairs reports, requested by the state Senate and obtained by The Post and Courier through the Freedom of Information Act, will be evidence and ammunition in the confirmation hearings for the new director of the Department of Public Safety. ...
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Safety chief names floated

Tuesday, April 15, 2008
COLUMBIA — Six weeks after problems within the Highway Patrol began to surface, names of potential replacements for the head of the Department of Public Safety are being whispered in legislative circles. Gov. Mark Sanford's office is mum on the process but said the state should expect him to recommend a replacement to lead the Highway Patrol's parent agency "sooner rather than later." ...
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Senator urges protection for troopers

Friday, April 4, 2008
COLUMBIA — Finding and protecting troopers courageous enough to speak up is the key to resolving problems within the state Highway Patrol because troubles have festered for years under the threat of demotions, a glass ceiling or transfers to South Carolina back roads, a state senator said Thursday.
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McConnell prepares staff for Highway Patrol probe

Thursday, April 3, 2008
COLUMBIA — In an internal memo dated Wednesday, state Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell directs Senate staff on an investigation into the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The memo obtained by The Post and Courier, comes on the heels of shake-ups in the patrol and its parent agency, the Department of Public Safety. Senators will meet today to discuss for the first time evidence of troopers mistreating motorists.
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S.C. troopers get less training

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
COLUMBIA — South Carolina troopers spend less time in formal training than their counterparts in neighboring states, a problem that has some questioning if it contributed to the misbehavior caught on videotapes that surfaced in the last month. A trooper here spends 4 1/2 months in ba...
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Ticket-writing habits: an interactive graphic

Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Post and Courier took a look at thousands of traffic tickets and arrests by troopers during the past five years and created an interactive graphic showing trends in ticketing, arrests, arrest rates and racial leanings.
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