News Release: Parental Accountability Initiative Update

07/17/26

Sheriff Lott announced the Parental Accountability Initiative in January 2025, in an effort to stress the importance for parent to be parents; and that if parents were allowing their children to commit crimes and/or assisting them they will be held accountable. To date, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department has charged 12 parents since the initiative was started.

Today, Sheriff Lott announces three more arrests; Kendra Hemphill, Alterik Mays, and Samantha Rivera for their role in varies crimes.

On Saturday, July 11, 2026, there was a double homicide at the Greenbriar Apartment complex. During the investigation, one of the suspects identified was a 15-year-old. Investigation revealed the 15-year-old’s mother, Kendra Hemphill (36; DOB: 09/30/89), arranged for him to be driven from Richland County where the murder occurred, to their residence in Rock Hill. She also neglected to seek medical attention for a gunshot wound he sustained to his lower body during the murder in order to avoid law enforcement being called. On July 16, 2026, Hemphill was placed under arrest and charged with Accessory After the Fact of a Felony and Unlawful Conduct Towards a Child. She was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center where she is still detained on a $75,000 surety bond.

Thursday, July 16, 2026, RCSD investigators executed a search warrant at a residence on the 9000 block of Farrow Rd in connection with a previous shooting. Upon entry into the residence, deputies encountered Alterik Mays (26; DOB: 05/26/00), Samantha Rivera (30; DOB: 01/27/96), and three children in the home. During the search, investigators located a large amount of green plant like material, packaging materials, and scales consistent with the sale of narcotics. Also discovered in the residence, was a loaded firearm with an extended magazine beneath the 2-year-old child's bed. The area was accessible to all of the children in the residence. The firearm was not in the “safe” position and was in a state ready to fire at the pull of the trigger. A small amount of narcotics was also located near the firearm in the child’s bedroom. Mays and Rivera were both placed under arrest. Mays was charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, Unlawful Conduct Towards a Child, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Rivera was charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and Unlawful Conduct Towards a Child. They were both transported to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Mays is still detained on a $75,000 surety bond and Rivera is still detained on a $30,000 surety bond.

On July 14, 2026, at approximately 4:00 a.m., a juvenile was apprehended by RCSD while tracking for car break-in suspects. He and his 17-year-old accomplice fled from law enforcement on foot and threw two firearms while fleeing. Both of the firearms were located and one of them is believed to have been used during a shooting in April of 2026. During the investigation, it was discovered that the 15-yer old is the son of the first parent charged during the Parental Accountability Initiative, Shameka Williams.

Williams was arrested back in January 2025, after it was discovered that she picked up her son (13-year-old) from a scene after he ran from law enforcement in a stolen vehicle and shot and killed RCSD K-9 Bumi. He was sentenced to alternative placement with probation for that crime. His probation ended on July 11, 2026. 3 days later, now 15-years-old was once again arrested and charged with Auto Tampering and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Under 18. They were transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

“The goal of this initiative is not to lock up parents. It is to get parents to be a parent,” Sheriff Lott said. “We will continue to hold parents accountable when they choose to condone or participate in their child’s criminal activity.”

During Camp LOTT in June 2026, a mentor asked the young men at the camp, “If I were a 14-year-old boy, where could I get a gun?” The top answers were noted as, 1) buy one on the street, 2) parents (unsecured weapon), 3) from an older family member, 4) a “Big Homie,” have an adult buy one, or 5) steal one from someone’s car. The common theme in the answers is that they all involve adults either directly or indirectly contributing to guns ending up in the possession of juveniles.

As a result of K-9 Bumi and other K9’s recently, Fargo’s Law was passed in the state of South Carolina. What started formally as “Fargo’s Law” became “Fargo’s, Hyco’s, Rico’s, Coba’s, Wick’s, Mikka’s, and Bumi’s Law.” After years of being a bill, it was finally signed into law on May 15, 2026. The law carries a maximum fine of $20,000 and a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.