10th Circuit Solicitor

July 29, 2010
Contact: pressinfo@soli10th.com

(Walhalla, SC). Earl Dean Jordan pled guilty today in Oconee General Sessions Court to Negligent Discharge of a Firearm While Hunting Causing a Death. The Honorable Cordell Maddox sentenced Jordan to 3 years suspended to 90 days home incarceration to be followed by 2 years probation.

Jordan and the victim, Adam Becker, were hog hunting with a group near New Cut Road outside of Walhalla in March of 2009. Becker was coming through the woods when Jordan negligently discharged his firearm in Becker’s direction. Becker died at Oconee Memorial Hospital later that day from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. 

July 28, 2010
Contact: pressinfo@soli10th.com
(Walhalla, SC). James M. Baskerville pled guilty today in Oconee General
Sessions Court to Voluntary Manslaughter and also to Death of a Child of in
Utero during the Commission of a Violent Crime. The Honorable Cordell
Maddox sentenced Baskerville to 30 years on each charge to be served
concurrently.
The Defendant met the victim, Karla Benson, in 2008 while they were
employed at Oconee Medical Center. At that time they began an on
again/off again relationship that lasted up until the time of Karla’s death. In
June of 2009, Karla began making plans to move out of State. Based on
emails between Karla and the defendant right before her death, it is obvious
that the defendant was still hoping that Karla would ask him to move away
with her and that he believed that he was the father of her child. On June 20,
2009, a friend of Karla’s took her to meet the Defendant at his workplace so
Karla could get money from the Defendant. About an hour later, the owner
of the business arrived to drop off some items and found the Defendant
inside bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound to his head and
immediately ran out and called the police. When law enforcement arrived,
they found Ms. Benson’s body in a storage room within the facility. Seneca
Police Department conducted the crime scene processing and investigation
in this case. Investigation and SLED analysis indicate that the same weapon
shot both the defendant and Ms. Benson. Ms. Benson’s autopsy revealed her
wounds could not have been self-inflicted, were consistent with homicide,
and that she was 20 weeks pregnant with a male child. Investigation into the
defendant’s gunshot wound revealed it was self-inflicted. Crime scene
processing did not indicate the presence of any 3rd party at the scene and
GSR analysis was positive for both the Defendant and the victim. The
defendant’s bag found at the scene contained ammunition for the firearm in
question. Bloody footprints throughout the crime scene were found to be
consistent with the shoes the Defendant was wearing. All DNA samples
collected at the scene belonged to either the Defendant or the victim.
“We are very pleased with the sentence imposed by the Judge in this case.
The loss of this mother and unborn child is a horrible tragedy. Many lives
were drastically changed by the events of that day.”

July 27, 2010
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(Walhalla, SC). Nineteen-year old Cody Christian Dean Lecroy pled guilty today in Oconee General Sessions Court to Arson 3rd Degree, 2 counts of Burglary 3rd Degree, and Malicious Damage to Property. After the State requested an active jail sentence, the Honorable Cordell Maddox sentenced Lecroy to 15 years suspended to 5 years probation. Lecroy was also ordered to complete a drug rehab program in the state of Georgia.

Lecroy was arrested in July of 2009 following the burning of St. Luke United Methodist Church in downtown Walhalla. He was also charged with burglarizing a liquor store and cutting the tires on a Red Cross van.

July 20, 2010
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(Anderson, SC). Sixty-two year old Roger Dale Blume pleaded guilty today in Anderson General Sessions Court to Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor, 2nd Degree. The Honorable Lawton McIntosh sentenced him to 20 years suspended on service of 15 years with 5 years probation. Blume will also be required to register as a sex offender.

On January 24th thru 25th of 2009, the 5-year old victim was visiting with relatives. Upon the child’s return home, a grandparent noticed an area of redness while bathing the child and sought medical attention. A medical exam indicated trauma in the vaginal area. 

July 20, 2010
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(Anderson, SC). An Anderson County jury took less than 15 minutes to convict David Dale Sheriff for the burglary of a Honea Path home. Based on the defendant’s prior record, the State had served the defendant with notice of intent to seek a sentence of Life without the possibility of parole. Following the jury’s verdict, The Honorable Lawton McIntosh sentenced him to life.

On August 19, 2005, the Defendant entered the victim’s home by breaking the back glass door with a deer stand ladder. The Defendant then entered the home, rifling through the victim’s belongings and ultimately stealing $1,500 in cash, binoculars, and a range finder. During the burglary, the Defendant left his blood on the alarm system key pad and on the spare bedroom door. Law enforcement collected the blood evidence which was then submitted to SLED for analysis. SLED was able to determine that the blood collected at the scene matched that of the Defendant. The Defendant has a long prior record of Burglaries. 

July 2, 2010
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(Walhalla, SC). Scuddy Timothy Walker pleaded guilty to Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor, 2nd Degree on Thursday, July 1st in Oconee County General Sessions Court. The Honorable Alex Macaulay sentenced Walker to 20 years suspended to 10 years with 5 years probation, sex offender counseling and registry, and alcohol and drug treatment and testing.

On February 20, 2009, the victim was visiting Walker’s family at his home. The defendant consumed alcohol heavily and also allowed the victim to consume alcohol to the point of heavy intoxication. After the defendant’s family members had gone to bed, the defendant had sex with the victim. The victim contacted family members who then contacted law enforcement. 

“Now that this case has been resolved, the victim can begin the recovery process knowing her abuser will be in prison for the next decade and a registered sex offender for the rest of his life,” said Solicitor Adams.

June 10, 2010
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(Anderson, SC).On March 31, 2010, an Anderson County jury found David Marion Johnson guilty in his absence of Trafficking Crack Cocaine and Possession of Marijuana. The defendant was subsequently picked up on a bench warrant on 6/8/2010 and brought before the Honorable Lawton McIntosh today for sentencing. Judge McIntosh sentenced Johnson to 30 years and $50,000 for Trafficking Crack Cocaine and 1 year (concurrent) for Possession of Marijuana. The defendant has a history of prior drug convictions. 

On 7/31/2009, officers with the Anderson County Gang Task Force were patrolling the area of Appleton, Reynolds, and Wenzick Street because of numerous complaints they had received for crime and drug activity. The officers observed Johnson take notice of them and immediately turn and walk away hurriedly. The officers observed Johnson discard a plastic baggie onto the ground as he entered the front yard of a residence. Officers retrieved the baggie and confirmed the contents to be 13.52 grams of crack cocaine. A search incident to arrest of the defendant yielded another plastic baggie found in the defendant’s pants pocket that was confirmed to be 6.9 grams of marijuana. 

May 19, 2010
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(Anderson, SC). An Anderson County jury has found Terrance Jarel Goss guilty of Armed Robbery, Criminal Conspiracy, and Possession of a Weapon during the Commission of a Violent Crime. The Honorable Lawton McIntosh sentenced Goss to 15 years for Armed Robbery; 5 years for Criminal Conspiracy and Possession of Weapon during the Commission of a Violent Crime which are to run concurrent.

On February 5, 2008, three individuals entered the BP station at 301 E. Shockley Ferry Road in Anderson and robbed the clerk at gunpoint. The robbers escaped with $927 in cash. The case was unsolved for seven months until an investigation by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office found that the guns used in a shooting incident on February 8, 2008 at the campus of Greenville Tech were a match to shell casings found at the BP station. Evidence and testimony linked the guns back to Goss and another individual. 

April 29, 2010
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(Anderson, SC). Shane Cantrell pled guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter today in Anderson General Sessions Court. The Honorable Cordell Maddox sentenced him to 25 years in prison.

On January 17, 2009, Cantrell, went to the home of Donovan Adams and stabbed him twice resulting in his death. The defendant had become upset that his girlfriend, Jessica Kirby, was cheating on him with Adams, a lifelong friend of Cantrell. Jessica Kirby was a witness to the incident which took place in the victim’s bedroom. The defendant gave a statement admitting to stabbing the victim. The weapon was recovered near the incident location and did have the victim’s blood on it.

April 29, 2010
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(Walhalla, SC). Sean Simpkins pled guilty today to multiple sex offenses in Oconee General Sessions Court. The Honorable Alex Macaulay sentenced him to 25 years for Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor, 1st Degree, 20 years for Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor, 2nd Degree, and 15 years for Lewd Act on a Minor. All sentences are to be served concurrently. Under “Jessie’s Law” Simpkins will be on mandatory GPS monitoring for life when he is released from prison and will be on the sex offender registry. He will also be listed on the Central Registry of child abuse and neglect.

Between December 1, 2008 and November 8, 2009, Simpkins engaged in a sexual relationship with a juvenile female who was between 10 and 11 years old at the time of the abuse. The incidents occurred in the defendant’s home in the city of Walhalla. The victim disclosed to family members and the Walhalla Police Department conducted an investigation. The defendant admitted to the crimes when questioned.

“Mr. Simpkins is a clear danger to the children in our community,” said Solicitor Chrissy Adams. “Thanks to today’s sentence, he will spend more than two decades in prison and be monitored for the rest of his life so that he can never again harm another child.” 

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