Sex offender hangs himself in jail

6-13-2016 South Carolina:

A Gaston County sex offender has died after he was found hanging in his jail cell last week, less than three hours after his arrest.

John William Gluth Jr., 44, was charged June 7 for failing to report his new Gastonia address to the Sheriff's Department. He was given a $250,000 bond.

He didn't live to see his first court appearance.

Found hanging

"He was found hanging in his cell," said Darrell Griffin, assistant chief of the Gaston County Sheriff's Office. "He was unresponsive and not breathing."

Gluth died Friday at CaroMont Regional Medical Center.

SLED: Charleston County inmate charged with assisted suicide in another inmate's death

5-8-2014 South Carolina:

State agents are investigating the strangling death of an inmate in what sheriff's deputies said is the Cannon Detention Center's first reported case of assisted suicide at the jail.

Matthew Lee Glidden, 29, of Ladson was found dead in his cell around 6:45 a.m. March 24 while officers prepared the other inmates in his unit for breakfast, investigators said.

The State Law Enforcement Division announced on Thursday that Glidden had been strangled at the hand of fellow inmate, 30-year-old Michael Robert Bixby. Agents charged Bixby with assisted suicide, according to SLED spokesman Thom Berry. He could face up to 15 years in prison or a $100,000 fine if convicted on the felony charge, Berry said.

An arrest affidavit stated Bixby confessed to investigators that he helped Glidden die.

Berry would not elaborate on how investigators confirmed that Glidden had been suicidal.

Officials: Sex offender died of self-inflicted wounds

11-3-2012 South Carolina:

An Upstate man who shot himself to end a 12-hour standoff near Holly Hill died Friday.

John Henry Mauldin, 44, of Greenville was taken to the Regional Medical Center late Thursday to be treated for what authorities say was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

He died Friday evening of a laceration to the brain, Orangeburg County Chief Deputy Coroner Sean Fogle said.

According to Deputy U.S. Marshal Amanda Lyons, Mauldin was being sought by Greenville County officials on a probation violation.

The former tow truck company employee was convicted in 1986 on a child molestation charge in Georgia involving a 14-year-old female.

On March 15, Greenville County authorities obtained a warrant for his arrest. They discovered he had been on the run since January when he failed to report for a scheduled meeting with his probation officer.

Mauldin was also accused of failing to meet his lifetime sex offender registration requirement with Greenville County as required in March.

In October, an anonymous tip was sent to the Greenville County Sex Offender Watch tip line informing authorities that Mauldin may be hiding out in the Holly Hill area.

At that point, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office contacted Operation Intercept, the U.S. Marshals-led fugitive task force, for assistance.

Operation Intercept determined Mauldin was staying in a trailer on Pecan Drive and converged on that location along with local and state authorities on Thursday.

Upon arriving in the area, officers verified with neighbors the Greenville man was residing in the area.

When officers reached the inside of the residence, they found Mauldin, who stated, “I have a gun,” Lyons said.

Seeing what looked like a handgun, the officers backed out of the residence.

The Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team was called in for additional assistance around 11 a.m.

Tactical officers surrounded the residence, located in a wooded area off Bunch Ford Road. Negotiating teams began trying to convince the Upstate man to surrender.

Meantime, Mauldin’s troubles were getting worse at the very moment he and law enforcement officers faced each other.

According to Greenville County court documents, an Upstate bank filed a debt collection suit against him Thursday.

Around 10 p.m. officers outside the residence heard a single gunshot.

In a statement issued before Mauldin’s death, U.S. Marshal for the District of South Carolina Kelvin Washington said the U.S. Marshals will “work day and night to bring you to justice.”

“The magnitude of this case is an exemplary illustration of how well all law enforcement partners worked together,” Washington said. ..Source.. by T&D Staff Report

Man found dead in pond near Conway

9-20-2012 South Carolina:

A man was found dead in a pond near Conway on Thursday afternoon, according to authorities.

The Horry County dive team pulled Lester Causey Jr. from a pond near the street he was from around 3 pm, officials said.

According to Horry County Police Sgt. Robert Kegler, Causey was found in a pond off Oak Log Lake Road, just off SC 905, outside Conway around 1 p.m.

Deputy Coroner Darris Fowler said that Causey, 44, was from Oak Log Lake Road, but might not have been living there when he died.

Friday Fowler said the preliminary cauuse of death is drowning but the complete autopsy report will take months. There were no signs of foul play.

Searches of the J. Reuben Long Detention Center website found several past charges against Causey, including probation violations in March and a harassment in the second degree charge from mid-June of this year.

Exclusive: Mother Of Murdered Union Woman Speaks

Posted in related deaths

7-28-2011 South Carolina:

UNION, SC -- July 28th Update 5:30 p.m. The mother of a woman who police said was killed by her ex-boyfriend spoke exclusively with 7 On Your Side, and she said there were warning signs the man wanted to hurt her daughter.

Over 100 people gathered Wednesday night at Foster Park in Union to remember 21-year-old Rosemary Lee with a candlelight vigil, speeches, and songs.

Police said 34-year-old Kerry Devon Brown shot and killed Lee Tuesday afternoon and then took his own life.

Brenda Davis said her daughter, Rosemary Lee, was pregnant and had a young daughter who left the park before the shooting.

"When he shot my daughter to death I stood and I watched and there's nothing in this world I could do to get to her and all I could hear my baby say was mamma", said Davis.

Inmate Found Dead At Anderson County Detention Center

5-13-2010 South Carolina:

Calvin Lamar Jeffers, (56), an inmate at the Anderson County Detention Center, killed himself Thursday morning, according to center authorities.

Jailers found Jeffers in his bed with a plastic toiletries bag over his head. Jeffers suffocated to death, officials said.

Jeffers death is ruled a suicide. Jeffers lived in his cell alone.

Staff members and medics tried to revive Jeffers. A judge scheduled Jeffers court date for next week. Law enforcement authorities accused Jeffers of committing a lewd sexual act on a child under the age of 11. ..Source.. by Staff

SC- Man wanted on sex charge found dead in home

6-11-2009

A man wanted on a criminal sexual conduct charge was found dead inside his Ansel Street home Wednesday when Richland County sheriff’s deputies forced their way inside to serve him a warrant, authorities said.

Thomas D. Montgomery, 47, had at least one self-inflicted stab wound to the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:15 p.m., Richland County senior deputy coroner Ted Powell said. An autopsy is scheduled for today.

A fugitive investigator told Montgomery over the phone Wednesday morning that there was a warrant for his arrest, sheriff’s spokeswoman Deputy Monique Mack said.

Montgomery was charged with criminal sexual conduct, accused of sexually assaulting a 47-year-old female acquaintance May 21, Mack said.

He acknowledged his identity over the phone, then hung up, Mack said.

Members of the department’s Fugitive Task Force surrounded the home about 12:15 p.m. to serve the warrant and announced themselves, knocking on the front door and ringing the doorbell, Mack said.

They heard movement inside and waited an hour for Montgomery to come out, Mack said.

“We always like to give them every opportunity to come out before we make entry,” she said.

When he didn’t come out, deputies forced the locked back door and found him dead on a bedroom floor, Mack said.

No one else was inside the home east of Two Notch Road near Pinehurst Park.

Montgomery did not leave a suicide note and deputies had no reason to believe he would harm himself, Mack said. ..Source.. by LEE HIGGINS

SC- Chester man charged with indecent liberties found dead, suicide suspected

4-20-2009 South Carolina:

A Chester man was found dead Saturday after an apparent suicide at his home, according to Chester County Coroner Terry Tinker.

Tinker's office identified the man as Larry Maynard Clark, 62, of 2017-A Henry Road. Clark used a shotgun, Tinker said.

Clark had been charged last week with taking indecent liberties with four young girls in North Carolina, said Capt. John Sifford of the Rowan County Sheriff's Office. The girls ranged in ages from 6 to 12, Sifford said.

Authorities charged Clark with three counts of first-degree sex offense with a child and four counts of indecent liberties with a child, Sifford said.

Clark was released on $25,000 bail after his arrest, Sifford said. ..Source.. by Herald Online.com

SC- Teacher Accused of Student Sex is Dead

Of over 400 suicides recorded, this is the first woman to have committed suicide. Although there were two female teenagers (Jessee Logan and Hope Witsell) who committed suicide over sexting.

3-22-2009 South Carolina:

Angela “Angel” Simmons Lindle, 37, a former middle school teacher accused of having sex with a 15-year-old student is dead. Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that Lindle committed suicide today at her Donald’s home, located at 921 Greenville Church Road. Lindle died from a single gun shot wound. Greenwood County EMS arrived at Lindle's home at 12:20pm.

Simmons was arrested on February 20, 2009 after deputies say she had numerous sexual encounters with a former student. She was facing seven counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Lindle was released on a $75,000 surety bond on March 5 and was under electronic monitoring as per the conditions of her bond. She was scheduled to appear in court on April 6. Lindle was a former seventh grade teacher at Edgewood Middle School in Ninety-Six.

The Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office has asked that we not release any further details concerning Lindle’s death at this time; however, Sheriff Tony Davis has released the following statement:

“We feel great sadness for Mrs. Lindle and her family.” ..News Source.. by Staff Reporter

SC- Inmate Commits Suicide at Spartanburg County Jail

8-29-2008 South Carolina:

A man at the Spartanburg County jail has committed suicide by hanging himself with a mattress cover.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) -- A man at the Spartanburg County jail has committed suicide by hanging himself with a mattress cover.

Authorities say 31-year-old Gerald Keith Tessnear was found dead Saturday afternoon, a day after he was booked on a charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Jail Director Larry Powers says Tessnear was being kept in a cell by himself and was found when guards did a head count.

Police say Tessnear was arrested after the father of a 13-year-old boy told investigators his son told him that Tessnear fondled him two years ago.

Powers says Tessnear is the second inmate to kill himself since the county's opened its current jail in 1994. ..News Source.. by WLTX.com

SC- Inmate commits suicide at Spartanburg County jail

4-27-2008 South Carolina:

SPARTANBURG, S.C. --A man at the Spartanburg County jail has committed suicide by hanging himself with a mattress cover.

Authorities say 31-year-old Gerald Keith Tessnear was found dead Saturday afternoon, a day after he was booked on a charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Jail Director Larry Powers says Tessnear was being kept in a cell by himself and was found when guards did a head count.

Police say Tessnear was arrested after the father of a 13-year-old boy told investigators his son told him that Tessnear fondled him two years ago.

Powers says Tessnear is the second inmate to kill himself since the county's opened its current jail in 1994. ..more.. by The State.com

SC- Sex offender dies, boy injured in crash after police chase

9-6-2006 South Carolina:

CHARLESTON, S.C. | A New York man who intentionally drove a sport utility vehicle into an 18-wheeler had been convicted of one sex charge, faced six other counts and may have passed himself off as a teen to keep the friendship of a 14-year-old boy who was injured in the crash, authorities said Friday. Adam Mauro, 27, of Pelham, N.Y., died Thursday along Interstate 95 in Colleton County after leading deputies on a chase at speeds of more than 110 mph. The SUV he was driving crossed the median and hit the tractor-trailer. "We believe this was intentional," said sheriff's Deputy Ted Stanfield, who said that after a six-mile pursuit in the southbound lane, the driver signaled before crossing the median.

"During the chase, most of the median had trees," Stanfield said. "You could see the gap where the trees ended and he actually put his left turn signal on and you could see him inching toward the left." The Lexus traveled 500 yards the wrong way in a northbound lane before it smashed into the semi-truck. The driver of the rig was not injured, but the 14-year-old in the SUV was ejected. The boy, whose name was not released, was in serious condition in a local hospital Friday. The youth had been reported missing Wednesday from the home he shares with his father in Stamford, Conn. Capt. Richard Conklin of the Stamford detective bureau said authorities were investigating where Mauro met the boy and how he may have coaxed him into the car.

"It seems like he (Mauro) knew the father and the son, and we're investigating some claims he passed himself off as a 17-year-old to the father and that he had been palling around with the 14-year-old," Conklin said. South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Paul Brouthers said the boy may have been a victim of Mauro, a former teacher's aide. Mauro was arrested in Pelham in August 2000 and charged with possession of child pornography after authorities found an explicit movie on his computer. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor obscenity charge and was given three years probation, authorities said. Mauro was charged in 2004 with violating an order of protection issued against him by driving past the house of an underage boy he was accused of molesting.

He was facing three counts of child endangerment and three counts of sexual abuse in two cases that were brought in Pelham and transferred to Mount Vernon, N.Y., a court official said Friday. A call to the Mauro home in Pelham was not immediately returned. The driver of the tractor-trailer, Timothy Marcam, 48, of Tony, Wis., swerved to avoid the oncoming car but the SUV plowed under the driver's side door. The 2004 Lexus was reported stolen from Mauro's father's home in Pelham, authorities said.

Stanfield said the Lexus was driving erratically and a deputy, thinking it was a drunken driver, signaled the car to stop. At first, the driver braked but then accelerated, Stanfield said. Traffic on the interstate was light, and the vehicle passed about 10 cars as it fled southbound from the deputy. Once it crossed the median, the Lexus drove south in the northbound passing lane before slamming into the semi. "It did not look like he tried to evade it at all," Stanfield said. ..more.. : by BRUCE SMITH, Associated Press

SC- Children's throats slashed in S.C. fire..

Posted in Related Deaths

8-10-2004 South Carolina:

ROCK HILL - Three children who were found dead in a Monday housefire were murdered, authorities announced today.

The three children, tentatively identified as Jairo, Denise and Denia Meza all died from having their throats slashed, York County authorities said.

Two adults also found dead at the scene died of smoke inhalation and burns, according to York County Coroner Doug McKown.

The father, Jose Denis Meza, 39, was positively identified from fingerprints. The mother has been tentatively identified as Marbely Zeldon Meza, 30.

Authorities said they believe either the mother or the father killed the three children.

The body of the adult female, believed to be the mother, had knife wounds that could have incapacitated her, officials said.

Meza was charged July 16 with fondling his eldest daughter and had been ordered to move out of the home. He was scheduled to appear in court Monday on the sexual molestation charges. ..more.. by Dan Huntley

Sex Assault Suspect Killed

12-27-2007 South Carolina:

A West Ashley High School teacher accused of raping a woman drove his car into a tree and died this morning, Charleston County Sheriff's Major John Clark said.

A suicide note was found in 38-year-old Scott Knight’s car.

Knight was free on a $20,000 bond after being arrested for criminal sexual conduct and assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Knight was accused of forcing a woman to have sex with him at his home in Concord West of the Ashley on 45 Sycamore Ave.

He had been on administrative leave from West Ashley High School since November, when he was arrested and charged with harassing two students.

Knight taught computer tech and was employed at the high school for four years. ..more.. by LIve 5 News


Teacher Arrested Second Time, Faces Two New Charges
12-24-2007 South Carolina

A West Ashley High School teacher, first accused of harassing a student, now faces serious new charges.

Scott Knight charged with Criminal Sexual Conduct and Assault and Battery of a High and Aggravated Nature.

The September incident happened in Knight’s bedroom, deputies said.

The woman told detectives Knight lured her into his bedroom, after he claimed he had gifts for her.

Instead, police say, he closed and locked the bedroom door and then pushed her down on his bed.

Reports show the woman tried to convince Knight to let her leave the room.

Instead, the arrest affidavit says knight pinned the woman down to the bed, then sexually assaulted her.

Investigators are still trying to figure out the connection between the two and how this woman ended up in Knight's apartment.

The 38-year old is out on a 20-thousand dollar bond...and on paid administrative leave.

No word on whether the new charges will change his status at the school district.

Mary Runyon, principal at West Ashley High School, by phone told Live 5 News it’s unfortunate any time something like this happens especially when it’s a teacher.

Runyon considers Knight a good teacher. ..more.. by Hatzel Vela,




Bond Set For West Ashley Teacher Accused Of Harassing Student
11-15-2007 South Carolina:

A West Ashley High School teacher is expected to get out of jail Thursday after he was arrested, accused of harassing a student.

Scott Knight, 38, was arrested Wednesday. He's being held at the Charleston County Detention Center.

A student complained Knight had been harassing her for the last month and a half.

She says he made vulgar sexual advances and continually insulted her boyfriend, saying he wasn't good enough for her. ..more.. by Hatzel Vela,

Cigarette, oxygen appear to have caused Gaston camper trailer fire

6-29-2007 South Carolina:

GASTON, SC (WIS) - A 60-year-old has died in a camper trailer fire that officials say involved the combination of a lit cigarette and the man's nearby oxygen.

The pathologist who performed the autopsy found no evidence of foul play.

Many knew Kevin Griffin around Gaston as the man who ran a roadside peanut stand.

A couple of hours after the fire was out, firefighters still had to hose down the wreckage of Kevin Griffin's trailer. The blaze killed Griffin and Blue, his dog. Both were dead before anyone could get to them.

Timothy Anglin of the Gaston Police Department says the structure was "nothing but fire and smoke. I could see smoke from Highway 321 as I was responding. But it was fully engulfed. What you see is what I pretty much rolled up on, just picture flames all up in it."

His landlord says Griffin had lived in the trailer since the mid-90's. Before that, Griffin lived in a house at the same location. That house off Gaston Street was also destroyed by fire.

Much of his time at the Gaston Street location, he made money selling boiled peanuts, blankets and other items on the roadsides around Gaston.

The 60-year-old suffered from lung disease and had to use a motorized wheelchair. A friend says Griffin's doctor had told him he had only months to live. Friends say Griffin was a heavy smoker.

Landlord Emily Baughman says Griffin would often smoke while using an oxygen tank, and didn't seem to be concerned about the risk of an explosion. She lives next door. "Yes, it worried me. Because I said Kevin, it just shortens your life. He said, 'Well, I ain't got no life anyway.' That's the answer he would give me. I said, 'Oh, my God man, please. Let's live as long as we can.'"

Anglin says, "And as I responded on the scene, there was a couple of mini-explosions also with some flare-ups from the flames."

Friends say Griffin was a good-natured man. Some also knew he had a dark side.

In 1975, he was convicted of rape in Charleston County. His conviction for first degree criminal sexual conduct is listed on the state's sex offender web site. His landlord told WIS News 10 that Griffin admitted serving a lengthy prison term.

But his refusal to stop smoking near an oxygen tank might have bothered them just as much. George Lever says, "We all told him what ... you know, fire and oxygen didn't mix."

Griffin had no immediate family in the area. A sister from Connecticut is said to be on the way to handle funeral arrangements. ..more.. by Jack Kuenzie