Plumbers in Walterboro, SC

WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCBD) – Community members are concerned about a new ministry that is set to open in the Walterboro area.

Shield Ministries, an organization that claims to help convicted sex offenders rehabilitate and re-enter society, will open its doors off Barracada Road near Highway 17-A.

About 50 men could be housed at the property at any given time as the first phase of their three-phase program to help the men improve their lives.

“Shield Ministries is an organization that works to help men transition from the devastation of their past into a thriving future,” explained David Truluck, executive director for Shield Ministries.

But those who live nearby say they are concerned about having sex offenders so close to their homes, children, and grandchildren.

“I’ve lived here for 35 years. I love Walterboro. I love the community,” said neighbor Lisa Langdale.

Langdale is worried about what is going in at this old church site in her rural neighborhood. “I’m just really concerned about living in the neighborhood, for our children, and living in the neighborhood even for myself,” she said.

She’s even part of a new Facebook group that has gained more than 600 followers.

“What do you say to people who maybe they live nearby, they have children or grandchildren at their house, and they’re concerned? What would you say to them,” we asked Truluck.

“Well, we have been a big asset to the community. When you look at our history, we have great relationships with law enforcement agencies,” Truluck replied.

There is also concern about Truluck, personally, because he is a registered sex offender.

“I believe the offense was committ or attempt a lewd act on a child. Do you understand why people might be concerned about an organization that you’re leading being right there in their neighborhood as well,” News 2 asked.

“I do understand why they would be concerned about that, but one of the things I would like to communicate to them is, I’ve been through the process of healing I’ve been through court-ordered counseling, which we will be providing,” he replied.

When asked if he could guarantee that none of the men in the program would bring harm to anyone in the community, Truluck said “I don’t think we could give that type of guarantee,” but cited the program’s “zero percent recidivism” rate.

A community meeting geared toward showcasing the proposal will take place Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. across from Tractor Supply on Bells Highway in Walterboro.

Leaders with Shield Ministries say they are in the process of getting the property ready to open, however, they do not have a specific opening date at this time.

A few weeks ago, I took up for the city of Walterboro, South Carolina after its leaders got some grief over their preparations for ‘Murdaughpalooza’ – a.k.a. the double homicide trial of accused killer Alex Murdaugh.

In case you missed that report, a vocal minority covering this trial are apparently upset with Walterboro’s leaders for wanting to provide the throng of people descending upon their city over the next few weeks with additional dining options (including food trucks).

The horror, right?

Imagine people needing to eat …

In rebuking these critics, I noted how our trial producer Ashleigh Messervy (whom you can read more about in this post) had been busy working up several segments for a report on how Walterboro – a.k.a. the “Front Porch of the Lowcountry” – was preparing for the ‘Murdaughpalooza’ influx.

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Messervy sat down with Colleton County clerk of court Becky Hill and city tourism and downtown development director Scott Grooms – the “Murdaughpalooza’ organizers – to hear more about their plans for hosting an O.J. Simpson-sized trial in a town of less than 6,000 people.

For months, Hill and Grooms have been working around-the-clock on multiple fronts to make sure both the city and the courthouse were ready for the deluge – and to ensure everyone flocking to Walterboro to catch a glimpse of these historic proceedings knew what to expect.

It has been a Herculean task – a definitional logistical nightmare – but Hill, Grooms and countless other city, court and law enforcement partners working with them have proven themselves more than equal to the task.

Here is Messervy’s report on their preparations for South Carolina’s “trial of the century …”

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Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.

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WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCSC) - The City of Walterboro has been accepted into a state program to revitalize their historic downtown area in hopes of bringing economic success to the community.

Walterboro joins over 30 other communities like Beaufort, Kingstree, and Orangeburg in the Main Street South Carolina network, which aims to address issues that challenge historic commercial districts.

“People who have grown up in this town have seen it gone from a very vibrant, bustling downtown that had pharmacies, restaurants, banks,” Scott Grooms, director of tourism and downtown development for the City of Walterboro said. “I’d love to see downtown just totally populated again with that to where people come downtown to shop and do day to day business.”

Business owners downtown say they love the area’s southern charm and small town feel but agree that some updates would bring in more business.

“I think we have incredible potential I just think we need some help in realizing what all we have,” Jessica Burdick, owner of Twig Boutique, said.

In the coming weeks, Main Street SC will come to Walterboro and bring in a research crew to find out what the city is doing right, and what they could do better, holding meetings with stakeholders, residents, and public officials to find out their vision for downtown. Then, they will assist Walterboro in coming up with strategies to achieve that vision.

“I think it’s gonna bring new business, a lot of potential for a lot of our local people for things different to do, and hopefully some beautification and some buildings that are currently empty, to fill those as well,” Heather Larson, co-owner of Colleton Day Spa, said.

Before the team arrives, the city has posted a survey asking people who live, work, and spend time in Walterboro to share what they think the most pressing issues facing downtown are, what types of businesses they would like to see, and more.

You can find that survey here. You’re encouraged to submit honest feedback about what you would like to see downtown until Jan. 25.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

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.

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.