“Pickens County Sheriff’s Office Asks for Public’s Help in Identifying Armed Robbery Suspect “

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Griffin Grocery Suspect

09-17-18

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating an Armed Robbery that occurred at Griffin Grocery located at 1804 Pumpkintown Hwy on September 14, 2018.

Surveillance video collected during the investigation confirms that at approximately 6:15pm, a white male believed to be in his late 20’s or early 30’s walked into the business and presented a dark colored, semi-automatic handgun while demanding money from the clerk.

The man was given an undisclosed amount of money from the register and was last seen exiting the store on foot. There were no shots fired and no injuries were sustained by any party.

At the time of the robbery, the male was wearing a grey stocking cap, sunglasses, a blue or purple colored hoodie, white tennis shoes, and black gloves.

A still image from the video has been attached to this release and the Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone that may have information regarding the identity of the suspect to please call the Sheriff’s Office at (864) 898-5500 or Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIMESC.

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“Pickens County Woman Bitten by Rabid Kitten”

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09-14-18 

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office received a request for assistance from a Liberty resident in the area of Black Bottom Rd after she was bitten on the finger by a young kitten.

A deputy from the Sheriff’s Office Animal Enforcement Unit responded out to the residence on September 07, 2018, at which time the homeowner advised that a skunk had previously come onto the property and killed several cats and kittens. The skunk later died on her property.

Several days passed and the homeowner was attempting to handle one of the surviving kittens after noticing that it appeared to have difficulty in maintaining its balance. As she was in contact with the kitten, it started to act violently and bit the woman on her finger breaking the skin.

The kitten was captured and taken to the Pickens County Animal Shelter where it was euthanized and forwarded to DHEC for testing. This week the Sheriff’s Office was notified by DHEC that the animal did test positive for rabies.

The homeowner was immediately notified and she proceeded to receive the prescribed treatment for potential exposure to the disease.

The Sheriff’s Office is not aware of any other danger to the community since the skunk is no longer alive and no longer roaming the area.

The kitten did not appear to have any visible wounds from the skunk; however, transmission of rabies can often occur from animals that have access to the same food or water bowls.

The Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone that observes any wild animal that is acting strange or appears to be suffering from an unknown illness to avoid contact if at all possible and to use extreme caution with personal pets until they have been examined by a veterinarian.

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“Pickens County Sheriff’s Office Assists Liberty Fire Department in Fatal Fire Investigation “

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08-09-18 

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a joint investigation with the Liberty Fire Department into the circumstances of a structural fire that occurred this morning at 401 Morning Dew Court.

A fire was reported at approximately 11:20am with information that a residence was on fire and that an occupant may be trapped inside the residence. Fire and EMS personnel arrived on the scene and discovered heavy smoke inside the single story modular home.

An adult female advised first responders that she lived at the location and was asleep when she was woken up by the sound of her dog barking. The interior of the residence was filled with dark smoke and she escaped through a bedroom window.

Fire Service personnel located an adult male inside the residence that had not been able to escape. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Preliminary investigation has indicated that there were only two adults inside the residence when the incident occurred and both subjects are not blood related yet reside together along with another adult who was not at the scene when the incident occurred.

The Sheriff’s Office has requested specialized services from the SC Law Enforcement Division to assist in the investigation of the cause and origin of the fire.

Inquiries as to the identity of the deceased should be directed to the Pickens County Coroner’s Office.

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“Escaped Inmate Located and Taken back into Custody without Incident”

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06-21-18 

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office has located and arrested the inmate within the past half hour that escaped from the Pickens County Detention Center earlier this morning.

A deputy located Jonathon Ray Jefferson Neal (24yoa) at a residence on Hwy 8. After a brief foot chase, he was taken into custody without any further use of force.

He was transported back to the Detention Center where his status will be upgraded from a minimum to a high risk security level. He now will face the additional charge of Escape.

Statements made by Mr. Jefferson Neal to the arresting deputy indicated that the motivation for his escape was merely to see his family.

Sheriff Rick Clark stated…

“The residents of Pickens County are fortunate to have the caliber of deputies that work for the citizens at the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.  

The tenacity and commitment displayed today by our personnel to locate and return this man to justice so quickly speaks volumes in regards to their efforts and service to our community.  

My hat is certainly off to the arresting deputy. Job well done!”

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“Pickens County Sheriff’s Office Investigates Report of Suspicious Person on Doodle Trail”

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06-13-18 

The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office was requested to provide assistance to the SC Highway Patrol in reference to a suspicious person on the Doodle Trail near Rice Rd in Easley.  The incident occurred Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at approximately 7:15pm.

Deputies arrived on the scene and interviewed an adult witness (33yoa) who stated that she was riding a bicycle on the Doodle Trail when she observed another adult male riding a bicycle. The male attempted to speak to the female but she was unable to understand him due to a language barrier.

The witness came to a stop on the trail as the male continued to ride on down the trail. A couple of minutes passed as the male rode out of sight.  The witness proceeded on down the path on her bicycle and as she proceeded around a curve, she observed the same male standing on the side of the trail facing the wood railing and urinating towards the wooded area.

The witness observed a SC State Trooper and flagged him down in order to report the incident. Deputies attempted to interview the male (23yoa) but also experienced difficulty in communicating due to the individual did not speak English.  Deputies accessed a language, assistance line that allowed them to communicate with the individual.

The male stated that he did not have access to a restroom and that no one was around when he started to urinate.

Deputies contacted a Pickens County Magistrate and presented the facts of the incident. The Judge stated that the activity did not meet the statutory threshold for a criminal violation of Indecent Exposure as the conduct lacked the elements of willful and malicious intent to offend others.

The deputies did not see any indications that the male was under the influence of alcohol or any other drug.

Reports on social media describing circumstances of a male intentionally exposing himself while in a state of arousal are unfounded based on the information provided to deputies and the information provided in a sworn statement from the witness.

The Sheriff’s Office has not received any other reports of similar activity on the Doodle Trail.

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