The retired chief justice of the S.C. Supreme Court has issued a court order requiring the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) by Friday to release recorded phone calls of a jailed woman accused of driving drunk and killing a new bride at Folly Beach.
CCSO refused to turn over any part of the defendant’s phone calls after initially releasing the records to The Post and Courier in May. Gray Television LLC, the parent company of WCSC TV, sued Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano June 22 for violating the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
After the newspaper published an article detailing the released video recordings, the Sheriff’s Office denied subsequent requests for those same recordings and any new recordings, citing FOIA exemptions, including the defendant’s privacy, physical safety and right to a fair trial.
The new court order, given Tuesday to the sheriff’s office, says the calls requested through FOIA by the television station do not fall under any exceptions and CCSO waived its ability to deny the calls because it already gave them to The Post and Courier.
According to the newspaper, the ruling, in which the judge said authorities violated the state’s FOIA, may set a precedent.
Also in the City Paper:
CP FOOD: Charleston culinary studio highlights African cuisine. Bintü Atelier is Charleston’s newest downtown restaurant. It is located at 8D Line Street and helmed by chef Bintou N’Daw Young, a Senegal native bringing African food to the Holy City.
In other recent news:
S.C. leaders say new program will cut nation’s lowest reincarceration rate. The South Carolina Department of Corrections announced a new partnership with nonprofit Concordance to bring a reentry program and center to South Carolina in an effort to lower the state’s reincarceration rate even more.
S.C. to waive sales tax this weekend. The Palmetto State’s 24th sales-tax holiday begins Aug. 4 and runs through Sunday.
Nonprofit helps LGBTQI+ students navigate high school. LGBTQI+ nonprofit We Are Family is set to host its first Gay Straight Alliance or Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) leadership camp this month. The GSA is a club commonly found in middle and high school, striving to create understanding for the trans and queer communities in high schools across the Lowcountry.
Charleston Co. approves private security of school. The Charleston County School District is working to make schools as safe as possible heading into the new school year by making sure each school has a dedicated security officer with the sole responsibility of keeping kids and staff safe.
Charleston police fight opioid overdoses with help from federal program. Charleston Police have developed a Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant and Substance Use Program with help from the federal government to fight a recent increase of opioid overdoses in the area. The program is aimed to help fight overdoses through education, handing out Narcan and working with other local agencies.
- To get dozens of South Carolina news stories every business day, contact the folks at SC Clips.
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