False Police Report = Felony or Misdemeanor

Thanks to a posting on NextDoor.com by Jamie Raub last week (since removed, but not before being copied), I was reminded of a complaint filed against me by Teresa Holmes in March 2019. 

Two years ago a Richland 2 School District trustee-elect reacted to an email I had sent to the full board, on Wednesday March 20, 2019 at 10:30AM. She is believed to have left work in Fairfield County shortly after I sent the email. She went straight to the Richland County Sheriff's Department to file a report that I had been harassing her.

In my email to the full board I had written that, if the District did not inform me by Friday, March 22 (2019), that Teresa Holmes and Amelia McKie would be sworn in before the following Tuesday's board meeting, then I would go to the Sheriff's Department and file a Complaint that they were illegally in office.

No doubt you've heard "the best defense is a good offense". Right? But only if that offense works...

Teresa Holmes complained at RCSD to Deputy Robert Jenkins. In his report dated 3/20/2019 at 1:45PM, Deputy Jenkins wrote:

"C/V (School Board Member) came into RCSD to report that a man that has approached her at several Richland County School Board meetings is harassing her. C/V states she feels threatened by the subjects [sic] behavior. Besides the meetings where she has been approached by the subject, the C/V states he has sent her numerous emails attacking her. The emails provided by the C/V have the subject's PH# listed as 847.971.7083. A case number was issued to the C/V."

Here is the law about filing false police reports. See South Carolina Code of Laws 16-17-722.

SECTION 16-17-722. Filing of false police reports; knowledge; offense; penalties.

(A) It is unlawful for a person to knowingly file a false police report.

(B) A person who violates subsection (A) by falsely reporting a felony is guilty of a felony and upon conviction must be imprisoned for not more than five years or fined not more than one thousand dollars, or both.

(C) A person who violates subsection (A) by falsely reporting a misdemeanor is guilty of a misdemeanor and must be imprisoned not more than thirty days or fined not more than five hundred dollars, or both.

(D) In imposing a sentence under this section, the judge may require the offender to pay restitution to the investigating agency to offset costs incurred in investigating the false police report.

What was false in Holmes' report?

The man she is accusing is I, Gus Philpott. I had not approached her "at several meetings". We spoke at the front of the room after one (only one) meeting, and a Richland County Sheriff's deputy was standing right alongside us the entire time.

I never harassed her. Not even once. Don't you think the sheriff's deputy would have interceded, had I harassed her?

Holmes felt threatened by a polite, short conversation in a public meeting room with a deputy standing right next to her? Seriously?

Holmes claimed "meetings". She and I spoke after only one meeting!

Holmes claimed I had sent numerous emails attacking her. I sent NO EMAILS to her alone. All email communications were sent to the full board. 

I never "attacked" her. 

I did write about Holmes' (and Amelia McKie) taking the oath of office illegally, entering upon official responsibilities illegally, and never taking the oath of office after they had become eligible to do so on December 4, 2018 by filing their Statements of Economic Interests Reports. They still haven't!

When I asked RCSD for copies of the emails "provided by the C/V", they didn't have them.

So, did Holmes file a false police report? Should RCSD have charged her with so doing, after it completed its investigation and determined that no crime had been committed?

I have a copy of that follow-up report, which had to be written by an RCSD Sergeant after I asked for it. The follow-up closing report states no crime was committed.

Are you watching?

Are you watching what is happening to our country on the southern border? 

Are you explaining to your children what Pres. Joe Biden is doing to destroy the U.S.A.? 

Are you explaining what the Democrats in the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate are doing to this country?

Are you explaining to your children the kind of country they are going to grow up in, if the trend is not stopped and reversed?

You got the $1,400; right? Plus money for other family members? Have you explained to your children what their cost is going to be for that "free" money?

Are you explaining to your children, the students in Richland 2 School District, that Nothing is free?

Who will pay for the $1,400 of "free" money? Who will pay for all the pork (90% of the $1.9T stimulus bill)? Are you explaining to your children what is even in that bill, now Act?

Start by explaining the cost of money borrowed from Chase Bank and Discover, when you don't pay your credit card statement in full every month and on time. Then explain about payday loans and pawn shops (400% interest). Next time they want to borrow some money, loan it to them at 400% - until they understand what that really means.

Ask them about the increase in the price of gas for the family car in the past few weeks. Better fill that buggy up now, during the little dip in gas prices.

Ask them if they understand what a $15.00/hour minimum wage would really mean, in terms of lost jobs and reduced hours for the low-paid employees. 

I doubt your students will learn any of these important things in our "premier" school district. Are there classes in basic money management? They'll be busy getting drenched by cultural diversity, inclusion, equity, socialism, racial injustice, police brutality. And why men playing in girls' sports is okay. 

They'll all know who George Floyd. Michael Brown. Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice were. 

But they won't be able to tell you who retired St. Louis Police Captain (retired) David Dorn was. Or name any cops (white or black) who have been assassinated or killed in the line-of-duty.  Or name very many of the Founding Fathers. Or recognize the names of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices.