Anderson Independent-Mail from Anderson, South Carolina • 3

Man found guilty of assault Former Clemson employee charged with embezzlement By Ron Barnett Ms Wright was an administra- Money was missing from an ac- Ocxnee-PicktniBirau tive specialist in office count that was for funding activi- of student development ties few minority students on cam- CLEMSON A former Clem- She was dismissed in February pus as well as from other ac-son University employee was as a result of the investigation counts McKenzie said Some of charged Wednesday with embez- which began when the umversi- the money was from the state and zlina about $20000 in public office of internal auditing some from private sources he funds according to campus po- found that hinds were missing said lice from several accounts at that of McKenzie said he could not Patricia Ann Wright 31 of 208 fice McKenzie said elaborate on the methods- Maple Blvd in Clemson was re- the investigation He said he was not sure how leased on a $20000 personal re- was a matter of determining what long the alleged embezzling may cognizance bond said Clemson she is and is not responsible have been going on but that Ms University Police Department Ex--" he said records are exten- Wright had been employed at ecutive Officer John McKenzie Clemson since 1984 1 1 1 twice last summer and charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature The charges resulted from three separate incidents His trial before 10th Circuit Judge Tom Ervin began Monday The victims accused Phillips of assaulting them when they went to his home in response to a newspaper advertisement for mobile home rentals According to previous reports one woman told Anderson police that Phillips offered to let her stay in a mobile home free of charge if she agreed to allow him to visit her once a week When she refused Phillips pushed her onto a couch and as Cotmdl Briefs Charges ended against fourth in tape probe Anderson man gets 10 years for assaults on women todqNndanMIafl An Anderson man was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison for assault and battery stemming from charges that he attacked three women who visited his house to ask about rental property advertised in the newspaper Phillips 47 of 801 St was convicted of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature The jury was out 50 minutes before it returned with the verdict against Phillips He was arrested effort Oversight causes loss of arson investigator An oversight by the Anderson County Council has cost the county fire system a full-time arson investi- gator at least this fiscal year The council last year approved on first reading paying $21000 in aala-' ry for the investigator but then failed to follow through with second and third readings County Admin-! istrator David Watson said The original plan called for hiring the investigator Jan 1 and paying i- the salary for die post with unused t- money in the sheriffs department I budget The plan had the backing of former Sheriff EE "Duck" Cooley i- and Anderson County Fire Carnmis-sjoners But Watson said the request was overlooked after it was made half cause a change occurred in adminis-S- tration at the fire department the pi sheriff's department and in two council seats The leftover sheriff's department money was instead reassigned in January when Sheriff Gene Taylor took office and left no money in the operating budget for the investigator The council delayed action on the request at its meeting Tuesday and instead will consider funding the post in the new budget which begins July 1 Fire Marshal David Acker said Wednesday the fire commission would pay another $20000 to pay for a vehicle training and other items The investigator would be supervised by the sheriff Capt John Skipper said two detectives currently work part-time as arson investigators and adding a full-time worker would allow the department to expand its investigative capabilities Holden allots his share of special project fund Councilman Mike Holden has allotted $1000 of his share of the council's special project fund account to the Townville Fire Department Each council member began the budget year last July with a $25000 share of the account to spend at his discretion The council members each received an extra $1250 in the account in January whep the council transferred its pay raise to the fund Two council members Elise Cahaly and Harvie Banister received only the $1250 in January since they were new to the council that month Their predecessors spent the $25000 allotments Each spending request calls for a vote of the counqjl and each has received unanimous approval Belton woman had been charged with selling counterfeit cassettes at the Jockey Lot By Lisa Buie IndepandMit-Uiil Charges were dropped Wednesday against a fourth person accused of selling counterfeit audio cassette tapes at the Anderson County Jockey Lot Anderson County Magistrate Bob Cooper dismissed charges against Mary Sue Kelly 58 of Belton because he said the Sheriffs Department show she knew the tapes were improperly labeled as is required by the law under which she was charged unreasonable to expect an ordinaiy citizen to have knowledge of Cooper said before dropping the charges Public Defender James King who represented Mrs Kelly hailed the judgment as victory for Anderson County and the I Clemson hires OconsaWctowBuma CLEMSON The city of Clemson has hired a 25-year-old North Carolina State University graduate to take the position of city engineer Frank Taylor of Anderson is taking over with the May 1 resignation of Harlow Brown who has served as city engineer and public works director for the past three years City Administrator Charles Helsel said Wednesday The city is reorganizing the public works department under Jim Su-ber who has been promoted to the position of public works director Taylor's duties will deal more directly with the engineering aspects of city utilities and development Helsel said first year he'll be working largely on a city map- saulted her she said The case was prosecuted by Charles Gambrell Jr and Barbara Heape of the South Carolina Attorney office Tenth Circuit Solicitor George Ducworth asked to be relieved from handling the case because he knew one of the victims and was a potential witness Anderson attorney Harold Lowery represented Phillips Amy Cone a sergeant with the Clemson Police Department backed up the stories of the victims when rite was called by prosecutors to testify Tuesday Posing as a tential renter she went to Phillips" house to ask about the mobile and he attacked her she said happy to know the Bill of Rights is alive and well in Anderson he said after the hearing Mrs Kelly was one of 10 people arrested Fro 25 at the Anderson' County Jockey Lot She was charged with illegally distributing recordings without tne name and address of the manufacturer and designation of featured artist Cooper heard testimony last Thursday from King who urged him to drop charges against his di- ent because Shroffs Department officials show she knew the tapes were improperly labeled Assistant 10th Circuit Solicitor Keith White said last Thursday it was the tapes were not labeled according to the law and that the circumstances surrounding the sale were enough to move the case to a higher court Anderson County Sheriff Gene Taylor who bought the tapes from Mrs Kelly and later arrested her called Cooper's decision joke" and said he'll seek grand juiy indictments against all whose chaiges were dismissed an engineer ping project mapping our utilities street right of ways working with engineers on the Clemson Heights sewer project and doing day-to-day trouble shooting engineenng for public Helsel said Taylor also will be working on engineering studies for expansion of the wastewater treatment plant in downtown redevelopment and in improving downtown parking Helsel said Taylor was one of 10 applicants for the position Helsel said He was chosen because of his experience in civil engineering water and sewer works and development Helsel said Prior to accepting the position with the city Taylor served as vice president of Taylor Developers of Anderson and worked for tne Carolina Light and Power Co in South Fork NC have to get used to but overall it will be good for the WAXA-TV is the last television station to be sold of three stations that at one time made up the Mark III Broadcasting Company The station became part of the Anthony Kupris estate when Kupris died in October 1987 WAXA began broadcasting in October 1984 and in 1985 it became the first television station to broadcast in stereo in South Carolina AnchorMedia's acquisition will enlarge the Channel 13 audience by approximately 50000 to 75000 WLOS Vice President and General Manager Jim Conschafter said In western South Carolina there are where viewers are unable to pick up the Channel 13 signal due to the state's geography Conschafter said Conschafter said he plans to interview WAXA's 20 Logroll Gene Thornton of Washington as his logging truck is towed Ga looks away shoulder on SC 81 qutside of Starr He said he from a sloping avoided a motorcycle and rolled off the road revitalization dies for lack of supporting funds By Ron Barnett Oconse-Hckmi Butmu SENECA The Seneca United Revitalization Effort is ready to call it quits after four years of failing to garner enough financial support from local businesses the chairman said Wednesday Barnng a $22000 boost from the city which City Councilman and SURE Chairman Johnny McLellan says is unlikely the organization will disband and push to have its efforts turned over to the city's planning department cannot get the support of the majority of the downtown property owners to take part in the revitalization he said funding has been the only thing that's kept us above SURE was chartered in 1985 under the SC Development Board's Main Street program to revitalize downtown business districts throughout the state At the time SURE was formed the city of Seneca agreed to allocate $15000 each year for operations on the condition that the money was matched by donations from local businesses have never been able to match McLellan said The city has chipped in $15000 each year for the project anyway In the most recent fund drive concluded last month SURE solicited pledges from 1000 businesses 150 commercial property owners 400 supporters of the Oconee Community Theatre and 30 industries The drive netted only $6000 All viewers will soon receive Channel 13 Fort Hill gas company will share its profits Regional Briefing SLED investigating Westminster police WESTMINSTER The SC Law Enforcement Division is investigating possible missing funds at die Westminster Police Department a SLED spokesman said Wednesday The investigation was requested by Westminster Mayor HE Finley SLED spokesman Hugh Munn said Finley said Wednesday that an internal audit showed a discrepancy in the money the department collects in fines don't know yet how much money may be the mayor said "There's a possibility of some missing funds and we asked (SLED) to come in because we didn't have the facilities to conduct an No city employees have been dismissed as a result of the investigation Finley said Mammograms offered at local church The mammography unit from the South Carolina Baptist Hospital will be at Mountain Creek Baptist IndepandentUail enthusiasts may be disappointed but South Carolinians not able to pick up the Channel 13 signal will be able to by late summer AnchorMedia which owns WLOS-TV Channel 13 in Asheville NC purchased independently-operated WAXA-TV Channel 40 Tuesday The sale is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission The new owners plan to operate Channel 40 as a full-time satellite repeating the Channel 13 signal This will enable viewers not able to pick up the Channel 13 signal to receive the ABC Network service and Channel 13 programming "Throe will be some viewers that will be disappointed but overall I think the community will see it as a step forward WAXA General Manager Pat Robinson said think it will be something the community will Church on Highway 29 South Anderson today from 4 to 7 pm and Friday from 10 am to 5 pm The mammogram test will cost $65 and results will be sent to family physicians The mammography unit is sponsored by the South Carolina Baptist Convention and the Saluda Baptist Association at Mountain Creek church which is observing its Bicentennial this year Southern Baptist leader to speak Ron Herrod former vice president of the Pastors' Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention and a member of the national convention's foreign mission hoard for seven years will be in Anderson Thursday Herrod now pastor of First Baptist Church in Fort Smith Ark will speak to a group of local ministers at a dutch treat luncheon at University Inn at noon At 7 pm he will speak at Northside Baptist Church at Calhoun Elementary School He has written three books and one prayer manual He said the action was not Eptcd by pressure from the SC cipal Association which was appealing the decision but was the result of the postponement of a major project that had been budgeted A decision by the SC Highway Department to delay the widening of SC 93 between Clemson and Central saved the utility $500000 which would have been required for relocation of gas lines along the highway the board member said The municipalities had threatened to start charging Fort Hill a franchise fee similar to that charged to power companies and cable television companies for operating in their jurisdiction unless the profits were divided Clemson City Administrator Charles Helsel said Wednesday he was surprised Tuesday when a $20000 check from Fort Hill showed up at his office Officials in other cities were equally delighted with the news that the funds would be coming By Ron Barnett OcoMt-Plckani Bumu The Fort Hill Natural Gas Authority will be sharing profits with its 15 member municipalities alter all a member of the utility's board of directors confirmed Wednesday Cities in Pickens Oconee and Anderson counties can expect to see approximately the same amount they received last year under a profit-sharing plan set up when the utility was formed in the 1950s despite the announcement last month that the funds wouldn't be coming this year according to the board member He asked not to be identified tty name since he is not the group's designated spokesman Board Chairman William San-difer of Seneca could not be reached for comment Wednesday refunds have been the board member said board did authorize a distribution to the member The directors took the action at a meeting Tuesday.