Circuit Court Judge Roger Young of Charleston presided over a term of General Sessions Court last week in Dillon that saw the disposition of many indictments.  After the term, Dillon County has well under 600 pending warrants, ranking it first in the circuit in docket size.
“We are thankful for the hard work of law enforcement, court staff and the defense bar,” said Assistant Solicitor Shipp Daniel.  
“We try to move cases as quickly as possible so that both victims and defendants may receive timely justice, and we can’t do that without several groups working together to ensure fairness to all parties.”
Daniel was prepared to begin the trial of Jonathan Owens, a Dillon man who had been charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor.  However, Owens pled guilty prior to the court term and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.  Therefore, the court term was used for guilty pleas, bond hearings and probation violation hearings.
Among the many people pleading guilty last week were:  Tanya McKenzie (violation of prescription drug law), Adrian Rogers (assault and battery), Mingo Miles (drugs), Willie Bethea (resisting arrest), Alan Wilson (firearms), Carrie King (cruelty to children), James Billings (drugs), Billy Jackson (shoplifting), Eric Dickerson (drugs), Wynell Kelly (drugs), Vincent Morrison (drugs), Adrian Ingram (failure to stop), Michael Boatwright (resisting arrest), Hatari Hayes (drugs), Brandon Moore (burglary), William Cooper (failure to stop), Adam Harley (drugs), Jesse Bourgoin (assault and battery), Montrice Jones (domestic violence), Daniel Fladger (failure to stop), Michael Cook (drugs, weapons), Delawn Moore (aggravated assault and battery), Brandon Wright (firearms), Roger Rose (drugs), Travese Gilchrist (drugs), Brandon Fletcher (burglary), William Conyers (burglary), Raekwan Floyd (burglary), Zyreke Kiawoh (burglary), Ashley Turner (unlawful neglect of a child), Christy Gearheart (unlawful neglect of a child), Margaret Joyce (breach of peace), Marlin McColl (drugs), Kevin Turner (drugs), Eric Dickerson (drugs), Bryan Dotson (breaking and entering), Bobby Shaw (burglary), Sharon Davis (shoplifting), Tyron Bethea, (breaking and entering), Kendra McFadden (larceny), Antywn Dixon (domestic violence) and Christopher Gurley (domestic violence).
The next term of General Sessions is September 12, 2016.