News Releases

9/22/2026 Sheriff Leon Lott announces the petition of a 7th grader for having a stun gun on school grounds. On September 21, 2026, at approximately 12:30 pm, the School Resource Officer at E.L. Wright Middle School was notified by school administration that a 7th grade student had displayed a stun gun in class. The stun gun was secured by the SRO. “This is a reminder to parents to check your students’ backpacks,” says Sheriff Lott, “we have zero tolerance for weapons entering

9/21/2026 Sheriff Leon Lott announces the arrest of Charleston Tyler Sweat (DOB: 1/7/1998) after a series of car break ins. On September 20, 2026, around 7:30 a.m., deputies were patrolling the area of Texas Street and Whitney Street after receiving a call for service regarding a suspicious person tampering with vehicles. While searching the area, deputies located 8 cars with partially open side doors and trunks. RCSD K9 Unit arrived to assist and while on the track, deputies

09/18/26 Sheriff Leon Lott announces the arrest of Erianna Salmond (DOB: 1/10/1988) after an incident that occurred at Blythewood High School. On 9/18/2026, around 8:30 a.m., deputies responded to an altercation that had broken out between 4 juvenile females. After securing the scene, deputies began investigating the circumstances that led up to the altercation. Evidence was found that indicated Salmond, mother to one of the females involved in the altercation, was responsibl

09/13/26 The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an overnight club shooting that left multiple people injured. On September 13, 2026, at approximately 1:00 a.m., deputies responded to the 2700 block of Decker Blvd for a shots fired call. Upon arrival, deputies learned that two victims suffering from gunshot wounds had been located at the scene and transported by EMS to a local hospital. While deputies were on scene investigating, RCSD was advised that six ad

09/09/26 Sheriff Leon Lott announces charges made against Shaheim Jackson (27; DOB: 01/12/99) in connection with two home invasions. On August 13, 2026, at approximately 1:00 a.m., deputies responded to the 400 block of Warner Dr. for a home invasion. Deputies arrived on scene and found forced entry to the residence. The victims explained that multiple suspects forced entry into their home with firearms and fatally shot their dog in the process. The suspects fled

09/09/26 Sheriff Leon Lott announces the arrests of four suspects in connection with the shooting on Crestmont Rd yesterday. On September 8, 2026, while deputies were on scene for the shooting, witnesses were able to provide a description of the suspect vehicle. Deputies were circulating the surrounding area when a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle was observed in the area of Hardscrabble Rd. and Sloan Rd. Deputies attempted to stop the vehi

09/08/26 The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a shooting that left one injured. On September 8, 2026, around 2:00 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the 600 Block of Crestmont Road in reference to a shooting. Upon arrival, deputies located an adult male victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body. EMS arrived and transported the victim in stable condition. Deputies received a description of a vehicle that left from the scene and immediately can

08/31/26 The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a shooting at Vegas Nights on Friday night that left one injured. On August 28, 2026, at approximately 9:30 p.m., deputies responded to the 3700 block of River Dr for a shots fired call. On scene, deputies learned that a victim was struck by gunfire in the lower body and was taken to a local hospital by private vehicle. RCSD investigators and the Crime Scene Unit responded and began a

08/28/26 Sheriff Leon Lott announces the success of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s gun storage giveaway, held in partnership with Prisma. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department and Prisma hosted two events this week, providing free gun lock boxes and trigger locks to members of the community. Across both events, 279 attendees received 373 trigger locks and 325 gun lock boxes, for a total of 698 firearm safety devices distributed at no cost. The giveaway provided

08/27/26 A physical altercation at A.C. Flora High School led to students being exposed to OC spray. On August 27, 2026, around 12:30 p.m., the School Resource Officer at A.C. Flora High School was notified that a fight had broken out in the outdoor courtyard. When the SRO responded to the area, he observed multiple students in a physical altercation. The SRO deployed OC spray to control the situation and separate the students. 8 students were exposed to the OC spray. Once th

08/24/26 Sheriff Leon Lott announces an update regarding the investigation of a large number of cases reported that occurred at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. On June 30, 2026, Sheriff Lott held a press conference releasing the most recent arrests made during the investigation at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Since that date, RCSD has opened at least 154 new cases stemming from the ASGDC investigation. The cases include aggravated assaul

08/20/26 Sheriff Leon Lott discusses three incidents involving firearms at Richland County schools, parent accountability, and safe gun storage ahead of SMART week. On August 18, 2026, around 7:30 AM, a student at JP Thomas Elementary reported seeing a 6-year-old child on the school bus with a “BB gun”. School administration notified the School Resource Officer. An AR Pistol, loaded with .300 Blackout rounds, was removed from the 6-year-old’s bag and safely secured. The c

08/14/26 Sheriff Leon Lott announces the arrest of a former deputy in training, Kenneth Edmonds, 38, on charges of Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor. On August 13, 2026, RCSD was notified by SLED that arrest warrants were obtained for Edmonds during an investigation. RCSD cooperated with the investigation and Edmonds was immediately terminated from employment. On August 14, 2026, Edmonds was placed under arrest by SLED and booked in to the Lexingt

08/11/26 Sheriff Leon Lott announces re-arrest of Louai Elkhatib (DOB: 2/9/71) on an additional criminal sexual conduct charge. Elkhatib was arrested July 20, 2026, and charged with four counts of Assault and Battery 1st Degree and one count of Criminal Sexual Conduct 1st Degree. After announcing his arrest, RCSD encouraged any additional victims to come forward. On July 25th 2026, RCSD investigators were contacted by an additional victim regarding an incident that occurred b

08/07/26 Sheriff Leon Lott discusses the traffic stop that lead to deputies returning gunfire during a K9 track off of Leesburg Road and Harmon Road. Yesterday, August 6, 2026 just after 1:00 pm, Master Deputy Tavon Polk attempted to make a traffic stop on Lorenzo-Davis Road on a silver Chevy sedan for a suspended tag. The driver of the vehicle refused to stop, initiating a vehicle pursuit. The suspect vehicle subsequently wrecked at Harmon Road and Leesburg Road and all occu

08/05/26 Sheriff Leon Lott announces the arrest of Karlos Gibson (20; DOB: 11/09/05) after firearms were found hidden in his 10-month-old child’s bedroom during a search warrant. On August 5, 2026, at approximately 7:00 a.m., RCSD investigators conducted a search warrant on the 1700 block of Van Heist St. While conducting the search warrant, investigators located two firearms in a 10-month-old child’s bedroom. One of the firearms was located in the closet while t

08/04/26 Sheriff Leon Lott announces the arrest of Aprill Yakubu (52; DOB: 04/07/74) after possession a firearm at Westwood High School. On August 4, 2026, at approximately 9:00 a.m., the School Resource Officer at Westwood High School was notified by a private security officer at the school that Yakubu walked through the metal detector with a firearm in her purse. Yakubu was at the school this morning accompanying her child for student orientation. Yakubu stated

08/04/26 Today, August 4th, is National Night Out. National Night Out is a nation-wide event promoting police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. Tonight, there will be dozens of neighborhoods celebrating National Night Out right here in Richland County. Sheriff Leon Lott discusses the increase of copper thefts in the Midlands and how the community can help. In the Midlands, AT&T alone has been the victim of 105 copper thefts year-to-date. Since October 2025,

08/03/26 Sheriff Leon Lott announces the arrest of Alphonzo Ray (33; DOB: 03/13/93) after a homicide that occurred in the early morning hours of Sunday, August 2nd. On August 2, 2026, at approximately 5:00 a.m., RCSD deputies were dispatched to a shooting on the 6600 block of Shakespeare Rd with a ShotSpotter alert. When deputies arrived on scene, a male victim was found with a gunshot wound to the lower body. EMS responded and transported him to the hospital whe

07/31/26 Sheriff Leon Lott announces the arrest of Travis Jerrod Johnson (DOB: 2/9/1982) in reference to a series of nine burglaries occurring in Richland County. Between June 1 and July 29, 2026, Johnson burglarized nine gas stations across Richland County, from Broad River Road to outbound Two Notch Road. Johnson would force entry by breaking windows and glass doors, then steal cash and cartons of cigarettes. Johnson would then sell the cartons of cigarettes online. RCSD in