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WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCIV) — The fight against a halfway house continues in Walterboro as residents will take their concerns to the Colleton County Council for the first time tonight.

Several Walterboro residents are worried the proposed halfway house located on Barracada Road, can bring dozens of sex offenders to the area.

Read more: Shield Ministries doctor explains treatment for sex offenders

Walterboro residents to shut down halfway house at council meeting, despite no set plans (WCIV)g

However, despite a conversation on the county council’s agenda tonight, officials say Shield Ministries has not revealed plans yet.

Shield Ministries purchased the land of an old, abandoned church—speculated to be the future halfway house.

According to Colleton County Council Chair, Steve Murdaugh, no permits were filed by Shield Ministries, an action required for a residential facility to come before the council.

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Despite the lack of action, residents say they want to get ahead of the issue, showing the county their concerns regardless.

“We don't expect an answer tomorrow. Really, we really don't expect an answer. We just want to present our case,” Walterboro resident Lisa Langdale, “Our plan is to give the county [our concerns], present our case and give the county every piece of ammunition we can to be able to say no to this because we just so feel like it's not the right thing for our community, and especially our neighborhood.”

Murdaugh says he does believe the proposed location is not suitable for the halfway house and could push for action to be taken tonight.

Shield Ministries responded to resident’s concerns in a statement saying, “right now, we are exploring all options with the property.”

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In Shield Ministries' 2021 annual report, 70 percent of their applicants are registered as sex offenders. The company says between 40 and 50 men will live at the Walterboro location.

The proximity of the location on Barracada Road of the proposed halfway house worries residents, as it’s a quarter mile from a Jehovah’s Witness meeting location, Kingdom Hall Church and at least four schools within an eight mile radius.

The South Carolina law states sex offenders can’t live within 1000 feet of a church or a school bus stop. The proposed location is just over 1000 feet from Kingdom Hall by a hundredth of a mile, and many bus stops are in the immediate area.

“Ultimately our goal is to stop this because we don't want it in our neighborhoods. We have children, we have families. It is residential. It's not secluded, or isolated and I think that's what it was called at one point--and it's not,” Langdale said.

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Sex offenders haven’t been a consistent problem for the town. Colleton County Sheriff’s Office reported statistics for sex offenses from 2020-2021 reveal sex crimes decreased nearly half, while other violent crimes increased.

Crime statistics Colleton County:

2020:

2021:

All of this and more will be discussed at the Colleton County council meeting tonight at 5:15 p.m. in Walterboro.

Stick with ABC News 4 for updates.

Written by: Anna S. Bright

Submitted by: Herman G. Bright, Parade Chairman

Photo: Submitted

For 35 years, the Walterboro Shrine Club of Arabian Temple #139 has sponsored the town’s parade, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As a nation, we honor this slain civil rights leader whose mission was to advocate for all people who had been oppressed by unjust laws and immoral abuses. King vowed, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Serving this year as parade marshal is a former Colleton County Councilman and retired pastor, Rev. Evon Arrington Robinson, Sr. When given the invitation to serve as this year’s marshal, Rev. Robinson expressed many words of gratitude and was most elated to accept this honor. Due to COVID restrictions, the parade was not held in 2021, and it was not held in 2022 because of inclement weather.

Rev. Robinson, a retired pastor of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, is a native of Cottageville, South Carolina. He is the son of the late Mr. Easley Robinson, Sr., and Mrs. Bula Mae Haynes Robinson. After graduating from Colleton Training School, he attended SC Trade School and later completed a tour of duty in the United States Army. In 1970 he received the call to ministry. He attended South Carolina State University, subsequently attending the Nichols Theological Seminary Extension in Charleston, South Carolina for religious training.

Having served in the pastoral ministry of Jesus Christ for 47 years, all of which were in the South Carolina Annual Conference, among his assignments were the Fairfax, St. Paul, Holly Hill, St. Matthew, and St. Stephens Circuits. Rev. Robinson led the Greater St. Paul and Greater Target congregations in the construction of brand-new edifices. In addition, he led the congregations at St. Peters, New Hope, St. Matthew, and St. Stephens in total renovation projects.

Rev. Robinson served the SC Conference in the following capacities: the Board of Examiners, the Ministerial Efficiency Committee, Presiding Elders’ Salary Committee, the Conference Finance Committee, Chairman of the Finance Committee for the Beaufort District, Station and Circuit Committee, Deeds and Abstracts Committee, and Abandoned Property Committee. Further, he was one of the initial organizers of the Sons of Allen Ministry and served on this committee for many years.

His ministry outside the walls of the church includes being elected to the Colleton County Board of Education. During Rev. Robinson’s tenure while serving as the board chairman, he led the historic event of hiring the first African American superintendent in the county. He was later elected and served on the Colleton County Council for 16 years, three of which he was a chairman. He served for 15 years on the Board of Directors of the Lowcountry Regional Council of Government, and he also served as treasurer for the South Carolina Coalition of Black County Officials. In addition, he served on the Lowcountry Community Action Agency Community Action Agency Board of Directors for several years, four of which he was chairman.

Previously, he was chairman of the Equal Opportunity Committee for the Department of the United States Navy, Naval Weapons Station, Charleston for 12 years, and as the president of the American Federation of Government Employees Union-Local 2298, for two years. Lastly, he is a member of the Colleton Branch of the NAACP and the Hiram Mann Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., of which four years he was the president.

For 57 years Rev. Robinson and his wife, Gloria Smalls Robinson, have been united as one. They are the proud parents of four children: Evon, Jr., Ronald, Rhonda Lynn, and Keon. They have been blessed with nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. After 28 years of service, Rev. Robinson retired from the Naval Weapons Station in Charleston in 1995. In addition, he owned and operated Robinson’s Barbershop in Walterboro for many years.

After having served more than four decades as a pastor in the A.M.E. Church, in November 2018, Rev. Robinson retired from active ministry, a calling of which he loved so dearly. He plans to travel extensively throughout the nation to share his experiences as a servant of God in the wider ecumenical circles, as well as his beloved A.M.E. Church.

The Walterboro Shrine Club’s Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade will take place on Sunday, January 15, 2023, at 2:30 p.m. on Jefferies Boulevard. At 1:30 p.m., the lineup will begin in front of Live Oak Cemetery. The public is cordially invited and encouraged to attend.

WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCIV) — A new halfway house and treatment center coming to Walterboro is concerning those who live near the property.

Shield Ministries plans to use a vacant church campus off Barracada Road near Highway 17-A to help men enrolled in the organization's treatment and reeducation program.

But neighbors say they’re worried because a majority of the men in the program are registered sex offenders.

"We help them transition from the devastation of their past into a thriving future," said David Truluck, the executive director of Shield Ministries.

Shield Ministries said their focus is on reforming and preventing recidivism in men who have dealt with poverty, addiction, and violence.

The non-profit currently has two facilities in North Charleston and plans to open their third.

"We found this facility in Walterboro in Colleton County that was secluded, but not isolated, and would allow us to take these young men out of the environment that consistently contributed to their going back to prison," Truluck said.

In Shield Ministries' 2021 annual report, out of 60 participants, seven graduated the 18-month program.

70 percent of this year’s applicants are registered as sex offenders. Truluck said there will be between 40 to 50 men living at the Walterboro location.

Residents in the neighborhood are concerned about their children’s safety.

"How is it a good idea? Tell me how this benefits us as a county, as a community in any way, shape or form. There's no upside to this. It's not financial for us, not financial for anybody," said Nikki Nettles, a neighborhood resident.

"For them to all be in one place and to have to deal with it all in one place; I just think that's too much of a threat for the community," resident Lisa Langdale said.

Truluck said the men who have graduated the program have a zero-recidivism rate.

Truluck himself is a registered sex offender, something else that concerns residents.

"I worry. We already have a lot of people that walk up and down the road and now we're going to change the dynamics of who it is walking up and down the road, and that really worries me," Nettles said.

Dr. William Burke, the president of Southeastern Assessment, said their first obligation is public safety.

"We will be taking them to work, bringing them back to the facility. If there's any need for them to go into the town, we would take them so they would always be supervised by a ministry staff member," Truluck said.

Dr. Burke said every participant is polygraphed every six months, drug tested at random, and their telephone and internet usage is monitored daily.

If they don't follow protocol, they are kicked out of the program.

"It means that they are arrested, and they are scheduled to go before a probation board and or go before a judge to for them to determine do they go to prison or do they get another chance to back out in public," Dr. Burke said.

Dr. Burke said in order to prevent recidivism, they must provide a place for people to control their behavior.

"We don't want to be a community liability. We want to be a community asset. And we stress accountability and responsibility. And we have we make it clear that the men are going to be held to a high standard. If they do not meet that standard, they will be expelled from our program," Truluck said.

But residents don't want that happening in their backyard, near their children.

"Our plan is to stop this, but if we can't, then what do we do? We have to educate, we have to help each other," Nettles said.

Shield Ministries said they are still in the development stages, so there is no timeline as to when the facility in Walterboro will open.

A community meeting to discuss the halfway house is scheduled for Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. across from tractor supply on Bells Highway in Walterboro.

For The Press and Standard

Zoe Buckner, Jada Christian, Abe Greene, Shawn Jacques and Niquee Agina were selected for the 2023 the South Carolina Band Directors Association Region Honor Band. This is the highest individual honor a band member can earn. Students auditioned in January against hundreds of other Lowcountry schools for positions in the honor bands. These students will attend the SCBDA Region Honor Band Clinic February 17-18 and will perform a free concert at Summers Corner Performing Arts Center in Summerville.

On February 8th, junior Band of Blue trumpeter Abe Greene attended the Burke High School College Band Scholarship Fair. Band members from all over the lowcountry met and auditioned for band scholarships with several HBCU Band programs from Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Band of Blue members Ally Stephens and Derek Oliver attended the University of South Carolina Band Clinic in Columbia February 10-12th The USC Band Clinic, in its 45th year, hosts over 400 of the finest high school wind and percussion students from South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and Florida. The goal of the clinic is to expose students to outstanding clinicians, concerts, and master classes. Students also attended several concerts on campus at the Koger Center for the Arts.

The Band of Blue Winter Guard and Winter Percussion performed at the CWEA Premier at White Knoll High School this past Saturday, February 11th. The Varsity Winter Guard presented their show «Here and There» with music by Enya and from the movie «The Piano» The Varsity Winter Guard placed 2nd in their round and 7th overall out of 13 groups in the AAA Division. The Band of Blue Winter Percussion premiered their show «Wonderland» based off the story of Alice in Wonderland. The CCHS Winter Percussion placed 2nd out of 6 six groups in the Percussion Novice Division.

Up next for the Band of Blue, the BIG BLUE Jazz Band will perform at the 2023 Jazz Performance Assessment at Newberry College on Saturday, March 4th at 6pm.

The Winter Guard and Winter Percussion will travel and compete at River Bluff High School, March 11th and to Byrnes High School on March 18th. The Band of Blue Concert/Symphonic Band will perform at the SCBDA Concert Performance Assessment, Thursday, March 16th at James Island High School at 11am. The band will perform in Class IV. The CCMS Middle School Band will perform at the SCBDA Concert Performance Assessment, Tuesday, March 21st at Rollins School of the Arts in Summerville at 9am..

The Band of Blue, Big Blue Jazz Band, CCMS Middle School Band and the CCHS Winter Percussion and Varsity Winter Guard will present our annual Spring Concert, Sunday, March 26th at 4pm. Admission to the concert is $2.

The Varsity Winter Guard will finish their season at the CWEA Championships in Rock Hill on April 1st and the Band of Blue Winter Percussionwill conclude their season on April 15th.

Walterboro, S.C. (WCIV) — Walterboro had been in the spotlight for six weeks.

The front porch of the Lowcountry was busy with journalists, trial watchers, and the attention of people from across the country.

The trial is over, but what was the economic impact on the city?

For weeks Main Street, right behind the Colleton County Courthouse, was full of people looking for coffee and food.

At Twig, a boutique in Walterboro, traffic picked up in some areas but lacked in others.

"There was a lot of activity at the courthouse, but it didn’t trickle down," said Jessica Burdick, co-owner of Twig.

Burdick opened a coffee counter in her shop when the trial started, which made business boom. She started opening two hours early to meet the traffic and demands of hundreds of people.

"Folks around here were like, oh man, you know, be helpful serve coffee to people waiting in line at the courthouse, the law enforcement that stands around forever stuff like that, and so we got some and did a temporary coffee bar here," said Burdick.

On Saturday, she and her sister opened Colleton Coffee on Main Street. That was always in the plans but came the day after the trial ended.

Main Street wasn't the only busy place in Walterboro during the trial.

"Walterboro had a fairly significant impact. All hotels full, restaurants did a very good business other businesses," said Scott Groosm, Director of Tourism and Downtown development in Walterboro.

"It had a positive impact on us- we don’t know exactly how much yet, but as we get the returns in from accommodation tax and hospitality tax, we will be able to compare that," said Bill Young, mayor of Walterboro.

Although businesses did well, the city of Walterboro also invested a lot of money into the trial.

" We knew we couldn’t do anything about why people were coming here, but we could do something about the impression we made on people once they got here," said Young.

Extra law enforcement, fences, bathrooms, and high-speed wifi were necessary to make things run smoothly.

"It was a burden on us. I know I saw a figure that, over time, police 35,000. Taj ma stalls were a significant investment. It was something we had to have media and folks in courthouse comfortable we didn’t have enough restrooms," said Grooms.

Life on the front porch of the Lowcountry will continue as usual. Mayor Young said he is thankful people got to see what it's all about.

"People that never even knew where Walterboro existed now around the world know of Walterboro and where Walterboro is, so that is a plus for us," said Young.