Michael L. Owens

Locked up for being poor in South Carolina jails

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) - For some very poor defendants an inability to pay bond may mean more time in jail before a trial and a higher chance of pleading guilty. People arrested and charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty or until they admit the crime in court.

Does race matter: Who gets busted for marijuana?

A 7News Investigation reveals that Upstate police are cracking down hardest on marijuana sales in the area's poorest and blackest neighborhoods. Three years of booking data from the Greenville County Detention Center show that blacks make up nearly two-thirds of arrests in felony cases involving more than an ounce of marijuana - despite the county being mostly white.

Unlocked and Loaded : Missing Police Guns in Upstate SC

(WSPA) - The best target for Upstate criminals looking for a gun might be the nearest police cruiser, a 7News investigation has found. Dozens of handguns, shotguns, rifles, and a submachine gun are now in the hands of criminals who saw the badge as an easy mark, police reports show.

Upstate Schools Protect Secret Files Of Former Teachers

Secret files created by school district separation agreements could allow district employees forced out of a job for "performance issues" in one district to find work with a clean slate in a nearby district. Because of district confidentiality policies, there would be no way for a new employer to know about the new hires troubled past.

Gleason's reach stretched beyond prison walls

The handwritten letter, mostly in cursive script, details the woman's job, the ages of her two children and even noted that her e-mail name was "Blue eyes." It begins: "My name is Robert Gleason ... and you were called to be a jury member for my capital murder case."

Critics: 911 towing referrals being guided by favoritism

If there’s a fender bender, rollover, or car fire in town, the wrecker company most likely to arrive behind police and other rescuers is Marion Frame and Towing. Emergency dispatchers have called on the company and its associates to cover accidents in the town 308 times since 2007, which is slightly more than the combined total of calls fielded by the 17 other current and former wrecker services during that time period.

Dozens of emails surface from Virginia AG office to gas company

ABINGDON, Va. - Court records show that an assistant attorney general sent dozens of emails to lawyers representing the two energy companies now being sued in a federal class-action case over natural gas royalties in Southwest Virginia.

Many police agencies equipped to destroy but not to mend

A police raid on the wrong apartment in Montrose, Colo., left behind smashed windows and baby clothes blanketed under a fine layer of tear gas residue. Despair wrenched Missy Dunagan's stomach as she stood on the other side of the complex March 16 and watched as officers tried to flush out a suspected killer holed up in the apartment next door.

Murder in Red Onion State Prison