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Where does the drug money go? Law enforcement benefits from seized guns, cash, vehicles BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com (803) 774-1225 Longtime residents of Sumter are quite familiar with drug-bust headlines that boast the amount of drugs, guns and cash seized in the raids. There’s plenty of follow-up about the offenders, but what happens to those mountains of money, the arsenals of weapons and towers of drugs seen on the front page? You know, those pictures that look like screenshots from Scarface. Just call it a “diversified portfolio.” While nearly all property seized by law enforcement can be turned into a cash flow, each category is dealt with in a special fashion and can only be used in an even more specific way, according to Maj. Allen Dailey of Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. “Everything we do with evidence and seized property here is mandated by state and federal law,” Dailey said. “And everything we document is audited at least once a year.”
COUNTING STACKS Considering the high penalties that come along with illegal drug activity, there’s only one apparent reason anyone gets involved — money. The only thing more certain than the profit to be made off drugs is the surety that the people involved are going to get caught, especially in an area well monitored by law enforcement. When that happens, the law may as well count it as a large deposit, but it’s not an automatic transfer.
SEE SEIZED ASSETS, PAGE A4
JADE REYNOLDS / THE SUMTER ITEM
Daquan Colclough, 9, lines up to take a shot Thursday after school at The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club. Ben Bailey, the club’s executive director, is seeking assistance in sponsoring children for the club’s summer program.
Boys & Girls Club director appeals for camp contributions BY JADE REYNOLDS jade@theitem.com (803) 774-1250 Without community help, one summer program may be canceled. For years now, The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club has run a summer day program providing more than 100 children with activities and a safe place for 40 to 45 hours a week. But this year, the nonprofit may have to limit or cancel the camp. “The community has been extremely supportive of us in the
past,” said Ben Bailey, the club’s executive director. “We’re just experiencing some really rough times, and I need their help. I need those who are compassionate and (who) care about the youth. I need everyone who has had someone give them a helping hand to obtain the positions they hold today. Hopefully, enough people out there are willing to assist with the building blocks of these kids who don’t have financial means.” The group tries to make it affordable for the families by charging $35 a week per child. “Our prices aren’t really that
high,” Bailey said. “Some parents are able to pay, but a number of parents have difficulty paying, and some don’t have resources at all.” For children new to the program, a one-time fee of $40 is charged. This covers the child for a calendar year, summer program and after school, Bailey said. During the summer, the children go on a different field trip each day. Sometimes it’s swimming at the Sumter Family YMCA or movies at The Beacon.
SEE CAMP, PAGE A9
Checking the progress of Penny for Progress BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com (803) 774-1272
MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM
Guns, cash and drugs that were seized in a recent drug raid are spread out on a table at Sumter County Sheriff’s Office recently. Each category of evidence is handled and processed in its own way, but nearly all things seized by law enforcement can be turned into a means of income for an agency.
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Five years and one month ago, every purchase made in Sumter County immediately cost one percent more than it previously did. For the voters who supported the sales tax referendum in 2008, they hoped it would be a down payment on the future of the county and its infrastructure. Now with less than two years to go in the life of Penny for Progress, and with a list of new projects for a renewed one-cent sales
tax about to be released for voter approval this November, the officials overseeing the penny tax say it’s on course to pay for the last round of projects. But early stumbles have hobbled the pace of collections, and at least one project may have to be scaled back. At this point, most of the Penny for Progress projects have already been completed, and the rest are in the stages of laying the groundwork. Out of 59 individual projects, across 16 categories spelled out in the initial referendum, 39 are now complete.
“All 16 project categories have at least had some work,” said Sumter County Administrator Gary Mixon. “Even the 20 that are incomplete have had some level of work performed, whether that be engineering work or site work. Bids have not been awarded on all of them, but preliminary work has begun on all of them.” Most of the remaining projects are streetscaping or repair projects, but two large construction jobs remain from 2008: the so-called Lafayette Diamond, a
SEE PROGRESS, PAGE A6
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