Criminal Defense Lawyer in Barnwell, SC

A South Carolina school district said a ninth grader walking in a hallway was stopped during a moment of silence and not the Pledge of Allegiance, as the student had said in a lawsuit filed last month.

Marissa Barnwell said she was pushed against the wall by a teacher at River Bluff High School when she didn’t stop to recite the pledge as she walked to class in November, according to her family’s lawsuit.

A lawyer for Lexington School District 1 said videos from the hallway shows the teacher touched Barnwell’s shoulder to get her attention but didn’t push her.

It also shows the confrontation didn’t take place until after the end of the Pledge of Allegiance — which state law says students can refuse to recite if they are not disruptive — and the start of a moment of silence.

Barnwell was not silent, arguing with the teacher until she walked away, the district said.

“There would be no prohibition on the school requiring students to stop doing whatever they are doing, including walking down the hall, and to remain silent during the moment of silence,” school district attorney David Lyon wrote.

Barnwell told reporters this month she was humiliated and feared she was in trouble.

“I was completely and utterly disrespected,” the 15-year-old said. “No one has apologized, no one has acknowledged my hurt.”

The district said while the principal did discuss the incident with her, a full investigation determined neither she nor the teacher should face discipline.

The district said it reviewed all footage from the hallway and not just the clip released by the student’s parents.

The family’s attorney and parents were also shown all videos.

Police also did their own investigation and did not file charges.

Along with the teacher, the teen’s family is suing the principal, school district and state education officials, saying they violated the student’s civil rights and her First Amendment rights to both free speech or not to speak at all.

In a statement, Lexington School District 1 said both its employees and Barnwell are getting “extremely hateful communication.”

“District leaders strongly condemn this inappropriate behavior. We care for all of our students and employees and regret that those involved in this situation have been the target of cruel messages,” district officials wrote.

BARNWELL, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - For most kids, competing in the Dixie Softball World Series is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For the Barnwell 12U All-Stars, most of the players are going back for the second year in a row.

“I’m really excited, because one, it’s a fun experience, and not a lot of girls get to do it,” said Pitcher Kensley Terrapin.

“We all feel like family, and so, we’re just so excited to do this all over again,” said Outfielder Sadie Whitehead.

Seven of the 12 girls on Barnwell’s roster went to the Dixie World Series in the 9-10-year-old division last year. Finishing as the national runner-ups is motivating them even more to get the job done this year.

MORE | Two local rivals prepare for new football season

“When we’re on the field, we’re cocky and confident. So we stay that motive all year,” said Terrapin.

“We’ve learned a lot of different things, and have had to play a lot of different positions,” said Infielder Harper Still.

“Whenever it’s at home or when we’re on the field, we just try to do our hardest and our best,” said Infielder Emily Vanacore.

“I tell them every time, if they get the bat on the ball, there’s not a team here that can touch them, and I firmly believe it,” said Head Coach Brad Whitehead.

Having the chance to represent the state of South Carolina is an honor, it also gives this team the chance to wear a cool new uniform.

MORE | Dozens turn out for It’s OK to be Different Bowling Tournament

“I like these better than last year’s, because of the pants design and the shirts and everything,” said Vanacore.

“They’re pretty cool, but they’re really baggy, and all of us have really big pants,” said Sadie.

Sometimes youth sports can be more serious than they’re meant to be, but no matter the stakes, these girls from Barnwell just want to have fun.

“We were down in the state tournament, and I said loom, let’s have fun. Whatever happens, happens but, if we go out there and have fun playing the game we love, and do what we know how to do and what we’ve practiced it will work out,” said Brad.

Barnwell is sending off their All-Stars in style with a celebration at the town circle, on Thursday night at 6 p.m. The Dixie Softball World Series begins this weekend and goes through early next week.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

A Midlands woman narrowly missed out on winning a $750 million grand prize in a recent Powerball drawing, but her ticket was good enough for her to walk away with a six-figure jackpot, South Carolina Education Lottery officials said.

Because the woman was one number shy of exactly matching the July 12 Powerball drawing, she had to settle for a $150,000 consolation prize, lottery officials said in a news release.

The woman made it clear her feelings weren’t hurt.

“I’m elated,” she said in the release.

She bought her winning ticket at the OM Jay 2002 LLC gas station/convenience store at 10193 US Hwy. 78 in the Elko section of Barnwell County.

The winner will be allowed to retain some privacy, as South Carolina is one of 11 states — along with Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Virginia — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.

The woman said her newfound windfall won’t be used on any flashy impulse buys, but instead will be put aside for retirement, according to the release.

Her ticket matched four of the five white numbers and the red Powerball number. Because the woman paid an additional dollar for the Power Play option when she purchased the ticket, her prize was tripled from $50,000 to $150,000 when that number was a 3, according to the release.

The winning numbers from the July 12 drawing were 23, 35, 45, 66, 67 and Powerball: 20.

The convenience store received a commission of $1,500 for selling the claimed winning ticket, lottery officials said.

The next Powerball drawing will be held on Monday night, when a $145 million grand prize will be on the line.

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1-in-293 million.

Barnwell couldn’t stay out of its own way early Friday night, leading to a first-quarter deficit at Aiken High in a matchup of two football teams loaded with youth.

The Warhorses corrected themselves from there, stepping aside to allow themselves the opportunity to be successful. Aiken, on the other hand, continued to fight against a current it created until the very end.

Barnwell scored 26 consecutive points in a 26-12 win that is the Warhorses’ second in a row and third of the season, a no-pictures-on-the-scorecard kind of victory for Brian Smith, who in his first year at Barnwell is also the golf coach. Aiken is still searching for its first win under Dwayne Garrick.

“I felt good about us all night. I thought our kids were executing and playing well, but it was a couple mistakes here and there,” Smith said. “We came out in the second half and did some of the things that we do, and we didn’t beat Barnwell tonight. That’s the big thing is you can’t beat Barnwell. I’ve said it every week, we can’t beat ourselves. We’re still young, and we’re still learning. But our kids are fighting hard, and I love their effort. I love being around them, and I love coaching them every day.”

Barnwell (3-2) was quickly facing a 12-0 deficit after a rough start that included a three-and-out on the offense’s first possession, followed by a quick kickoff recovered by Aiken (0-5) after scoring 4:41 into the game.

Luke Jones put the Hornets on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run, and then Jahnari Mole ran in from 12 yards out as Aiken took advantage of the short field for a 12-0 lead with 4:15 left in the first quarter.

But that was all of the scoring for Aiken, as the Hornets’ remaining drives ended with either punts or turnovers.

“Got to keep grinding. Got to keep working, you know what I’m saying?,” Garrick said. “Got to keep trying to get a little better each week. We’re struggling up front, trying to run the ball and protect. If you’ve got one phase of the game, you can kind of sneak the other one in there a little bit. When you can’t do either one, and there’s where it all starts, and that’s where we’ve got to get better.

“We’ve got to get better in the weight room. We’re young, so it’s a combination of a lot of things. They’re pretty good kids, and they work pretty hard. We need time, you know what I mean? Time to try to get the process going and try to get a little better. Main thing is we’ve got to get stronger.”

Barnwell quarterback Cameron Austin started the game 0-for-6 passing - “with like eight drops,” Smith quipped - but heated up after a late hit on the Barnwell sideline following a 10-yard run. Austin completed four of his next five passes on the drive, the last one a 21-yard touchdown to Logan Sturkie with 8:04 left in the quarter to pull the Warhorses within 12-10.

Austin finished the game 9-for-18 for 100 yards, and he also ran it 14 times for 42 yards plus two successful two-point conversions. Sturkie was his top target, catching seven passes for 83 yards and the score. Jaquan and Jordan Peeples each rushed for 47 yards and a second-half touchdown as the Warhorses put the game away.

“We’re going to play every week as well as Cameron plays,” Smith said. “We call a bunch of pass plays, and with what we do there’s going to do some drops. It’s just like when you run the option back in the old days, the ball’s on the ground some. Well, we don’t want them, but you’re going to see them on Saturday and you’re going to see them on Sunday. Our kids know they’re going to work hard this week to get rid of that. We pride ourselves on that. It’s just our mistakes, and we’ve got to get better at it.”

Jones went 13-for-28 for 138 yards and two interceptions, one by Sturkie and one by Kahzeer Wesley, and several of his pass attempts went to receivers who weren’t looking for the ball. Mole was the Hornets’ leading rusher with 45 yards on 11 carries, but as a team Aiken rushed for just 85 yards on 30 attempts. Cam’ron Frazier was Aiken’s leading receiver with 58 yards on four catches.

“We got behind the chains a couple times. Whether it was getting hit in the end zone, or I think we had a bad snap or two,” Garrick said. “We’re not good enough to get 15 yards. It’s all we can do to get 10 yards. We definitely aren’t good enough to get 15 or 18, so we can’t play behind the chains. Outside of that, it is what it is. Just keep grinding. It’s a process, as much as I keep having to say that word. I get tired of saying that word, to tell you the truth.”

BARNWELL — A pledge made as freshmen came true Wednesday morning for four seniors from Barnwell High School’s powerhouse football program.

Team captains Jaden James, Maurice Odom, Clay Pender and Tyler Smith dreamed of the moment when they would sign to play college football - and they dreamed of doing it together. They did that Wednesday in the school gymnasium.

The linebacker duo of James and Odom will remain together at Limestone, Pender will reunite with older brother Craig at Erskine, and Smith will continue a family tradition by heading to South Carolina State.

For James, Limestone offered an opportunity to grow not just as a player but also as an individual, plus the chance to build bonds like the ones he’s forged in high school.

James has done a bit of everything for the Warhorses, bringing his high-intensity playing style to the outside linebacker, tight end and H-back positions while also contributing on special teams. An All-State selection and the Region 6-AA H-back of the Year, James accounted for 100 tackles (eight for loss), 51 assists and five sacks as a senior.

He intends to study sports management at Limestone, where he and Odom will be able to lean on each other academically and athletically as they continue on as teammates.

“I mean, that’s my boy for sure,” James said. “It’s going to be us conquering another level.”

Odom echoed those sentiments, asserting that together they’re going to make something happen at Limestone. He said that signing felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders as years of hard work turned into a chance to play at the next level.

“As a kid, I dreamed of this,” he said. “As kids we all dreamed of this, playing football in the backyard. Going to the next level, going to college, going to the NFL.”

A National Honor Society and Beta Club member, Odom will study nursing in college. He said Limestone simply felt like home, and the Saints’ desire to win mirrored his own.

Like James, Odom has stood out as a high-energy talent for the Warhorses at inside linebacker, tight end, H-back and on special teams. The Region 6-AA Linebacker of the Year and an All-State selection, Odom is also a finalist for Aiken Standard Defensive Player of the Year after accounting for 124 tackles (eight for loss), five forced fumbles, three sacks and three blocked field goals.

Pender truly did do it all for Barnwell, earning All-State honors at multiple positions throughout his high school career. He starred at wide receiver and defensive back, handled kicking duties and was the backup quarterback when the Warhorses went into the Wishbone, and he proved to be a threat to score any time the ball was in his hands.

He’ll play wide receiver at Erskine, though he said he told the Flying Fleet coaching staff that he’s willing to line up wherever to make plays. He felt like he had more of an influence on his brother transferring back to Erskine than Craig did on him to sign there, and they’ll have the opportunity to be teammates again rather than adversaries.

“Maybe if I was playing DB so I could pick him off or something,” he said with a laugh. “If I was playing wide receiver somewhere else, I would just have to watch him throw touchdowns. That would’ve been a little disappointing.”

Pender, like Odom a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club, is leaning toward studying sports management.

The Region 6-AA Wide Receiver of the Year, he averaged 19 yards per catch and had 736 yards and 12 touchdowns on 37 total touches. At defensive back, he had 10 career interceptions, and as a sophomore he was the Region Specialist of the Year.

Smith has done nothing but set the bar for himself higher over the course of the last two seasons, and each time the Warhorses’ star running back cleared that bar with room to spare - he is the reigning Class AA state champion in the high jump, after all.

One of seven seniors chosen as a finalist for the state’s coveted Mr. Football award, Smith is joining the tradition-rich program at South Carolina State while also continuing a proud family tradition of attending the school. He intends to study athletic training.

The numbers speak for themselves. As a senior he rushed for 2,903 yards and 46 touchdowns, bringing his two-year totals to 5,054 and 74 scores. He’s ranked among the nation’s top backs in terms of yardage and touchdowns, and with those numbers has come a lot of recognition.

In addition to being named a Mr. Football finalist, he’s been a multi-time All-Region performer in basketball, football and track - twice an All-State pick in the latter two. He was named a North-South all-star, the Region 6-AA Player of the Year, the Class AA Lower State Offensive Player of the Year and is again a finalist for Aiken Standard Offensive Player of the Year.

“Crazy. Crazy, just shocking,” he said. “A guy like me from a small-town school like this right here, I never thought I’d be in that situation. That’s all I can say.”

This group helped lead Barnwell to an undefeated regular season as seniors, and the year before they reached the state semifinals.

“I’m happy for them. Happy for the families. Not happy for me, because they’re gone,” said Barnwell head coach Dwayne Garrick. “They’ve been the core and the nucleus of this program for the last three years, especially. Great football players. Did what they had to academically to give themselves a chance to be successful. Kind of sad to see them go, but at the same time happy for them. Happy for them for the next four or five years in their lives, and the doors that this is going to open for them to be successful.