SLED Investigating Cherokee County Jail
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By Russell Bradley
Published: January 9, 2009
News Channel 7 has learned that the South Carolina Law Enforcement division now as an open investigation into Cherokee County’s jail. The investigation comes after a Department of Corrections report claims jail employees allowed a former inmate to have sexual relationships out of the facility and run a business behind bars. Today, we have new information about the former inmate’s plans to marry a detention center employee, who now out of a job.
The jail is not your typical place to plan a wedding, but that’s just what the DOC found happening at the jail back in May.
Inside convicted drug trafficker Kevin Bell’s cell, investigators found a wedding invitation and a list of 60 names on the guest list. On the list, many deputies, detention officers, a solicitor investigator and five judges.
His bride-to-be was supposed to be former detention officer Kim Wilson. Earlier this week, the sheriff’s office terminated her employment after News Channel 7 questioned the sheriff about the report last week.
Before his wedding plans, the report also claims that inmate Bell spent much of his time outside the jail, including Chuck E. Cheese, where he spent the day at his daughter’s birthday party.
The report also claims the former inmate made bank visits, where investigators found Bell deposited about $23,000 dollars while incarcerated; took a trip Wal-Mart; restaurants; his mother’s residence, a Christmas dinner with the county’s chief deputy and a Harley shop.
The report also claims another inmate put out election signs for Sheriff Bill Blanton.
Blanton denies most of the report, but over the phone last week, he did tell us he allowed Bell to sell a leather jack for him on Ebay.com.
Cherokee County probate court says it does not have a marriage license on file for Bell or Wilson. Calls to their home phone were not returned.
SLED says the investigation could take weeks to complete.
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( fupton ) on February 08, 2009 at 5:48 pm
I cant help but notice Parker49 thinks the sheriff can do no wrong…..would that be because she works for him…i read the Weekly Ledger also and i think i remember a statement from a Parker….seriously give it up….the light is on now and there is nowhere to hide the ugliness…Thank you GOD!!
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Posted by ( fupton ) on February 08, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I think that SLED has only began to uncover the corruption in Cherokee County. It is time that everyone in this County had the same consequences as everyone else. Justice is not about who you know. I think that alot of what happened is already being swept under the rug and that is a shame. I believe Sheriff Blanton knew about everything and made a profit off of what he could and ignored the rest. I for one dont appreciate people who should be incarcerated running around our streets making money, babies, and partying with Chief Joel Hill (who had to know he (Bell) should have been in jail. It is all very disgusting to me. I hope the investigation continues until Justice is finally served!!
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Posted by ( sunshine1318 ) on January 17, 2009 at 9:54 pm
bye no means am i saying what the sheriff did was right, i just want people to know that sometimes the media or the press just dont tell the whole truth, its seems like only the bad comes out. for as bell he only done what he was allowed to do its seams and what if he found love in jail, some people seaches a life time and never find it, im sure that all inmates are not all bad. yes i agree the sheriff is to blame and i mad because i pay taxes like everyone else, but also i think we should remeber that they are still good people in jail and still good workers there. would like to see change in our system but not so much of agree and hurtful words to bell and wilson, because it seems like the had permission, so give them a break and dont believe every thing you hear
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Posted by ( Wonders ) on January 17, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Has anyone from Cherokee County wondered where the $1.00 that inmate & drug trafficker claims he gave Sheriff Blanton, for washing cars. He claimed he gave the sheriff $1.00 for water. The sheriff doesn’t pay that water bill, TAXPAYERS DO!.
I wonder if everytime the sheriff got a dollar for the water, did he go give it to the county administrator to put in the budget. I DOUBT IT VERY MUCH.
Maybe the county administrator should go ask the sheriff where all the dollars are for the cars washed!!!!!
I doubt inmate Bell washed many cars, that is to much like work. He was busy sitting on his behind in the detention center, control room, and sheriff’s office, buying and selling on ebay.
At least that is what Bell said in his report to Dept. of Corrections.
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Posted by ( countrygirl ) on January 17, 2009 at 6:38 pm
COME ON SUNSHINE why do you have to bring religion into this,but now that you have, if you go by the church that this sheriff you are defending attends you find him sing in the choir where he has been or a lot of years, God will forgive sins, but you should learn from those sins and stop doing them, I’m not judging him on beening a christian or not(the bible judge not lest you be judged) it realy looks like he broke the law so what do you do with people who break the law??? you send them to jail, if YOUR HIGH SHERIFF gets proven guilty then thats were he should and the people need to make sure this doen’t get swept under the rug and fogetten like so many cases like this are ,the truth will come out in the end but when you do wrong sooner or latter you get caught and it just don’t look good for a lot of old boys on the force. But come on let’s keep religion out of this
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Posted by ( sunshine1318 ) on January 17, 2009 at 4:54 pm
SHELIA, no vote here, you fail to realize not only does our sheriff has a problem some of our so called christians like you do, because you of all people should not be juding anyone, for in oder for you to be saved you had to get forgiveness for something wrong in your life, so what kind of work are you really doing for the LORD. GOOD OR BAD and maybe you are some reason why people have trouble believing that GOD can save and change things, so before talking and judging try praying for the lives that can be change, and maybe say a prayer for you.
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Posted by ( countrygirl ) on January 17, 2009 at 10:43 am
In response to Jane84, I’m sure that could be some empolyees that do their jobs right and follow the rules BUT THIS KIND OF CONDUCT has been going on for years and and it’s going to be very hard to find the kind of employee you refer to. It’s just time someone put a stop. It’s just like a fire the more wood you throw on the bigger the flame, so the more the people say about al there is wrong the more attention this get and “CHANGE WILL COME” so we have to keep on the elected officials until this happens, and if they don’t do their job don’t vote for them again. We have to hold them accountable for how they do things.Bill Blanton and others like kim have been in office for so long they thinks they owns that county but the last time I looked it belonged to the people. so you must unite and take it back. CHANGE MUST HAPPEN for you /us to be proud of where we live!
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Posted by ( Jane84 ) on January 16, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Although I agree that some major changes are needed…I think it’s unfair to categorize every employee as corrupt. There are alot of employees that agree that something needs to be done and are just victims of circumstance. Some people didn’t even realize they would be on the invitation list and would never have gone to the wedding because they knew how inappropriate the whole situation was. The individuals that do the wrong things and the people that choose to ignore those things or allow them should be held accountable. The Academy lays it out in black and white what is right and wrong behavior. Sleeping with an inmate is WRONG behavior. Letting it happen and enabling the relationship is WRONG. It’s hard to do the right thing when the leaders are bending the rules in ways that allow these situations to occur. The whole jail doesn’t need to be persecuted because of decisions made by upper management. I think you’ll find that if certain individuals are replaced the rest of the department will fall in line and do their jobs the way it should be, professionally and ethically. The chain of command is there for a reason and should be used accordingly. Promotions shouldn’t be based strictly on seniority. It should be based on experience, ability and performance. If you get the right people in the right positions then you’ll get the right results.
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Posted by ( countrygirl ) on January 15, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Thats the whole idea Corrupt, let them get out and get “areal job” cause you know they’er making their drug deals on county time anyway, so they don’t know what it is to work a real 8 to 12 hr day or be s single and work two jobs to support her two daughters, but this chick can. I don’t regrett a day of it either. I have two beautiful daughters that can tell you who’s always been there for them(Moma that’s who) and I didn’t have to do anything dishonest or wrong to raise them. And their grown now but if I ever hear that either one them does something wrong like this mess I’ll but their tails up like I did when they were young.
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Posted by ( Corrupt ) on January 15, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Well darn, countrygirl! If you stop the drug deals the sheriff’s office will be out of their second job!! LOL
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