Reporter Travis Bland's article in yesterday's The State needs to be read by all.
This sentence got my attention. "Two lawsuits also were filed against the sheriff’s department and Richland District 2 officials. One of the lawsuits was settled last year for $900,000."
Many will already be familiar with previous local media reporting about former RCSD Deputy Jamel Bradley. Bradley had been an SRO at Spring Valley High School.
Read the article about the allegations and charges against Bradley.
Perhaps I missed previous reporting about this pay-out. The reporter did not mention yesterday what portion of the $900,000, if any, was paid by Richland 2. I've asked him to report this in a future article.
The other thing I wonder about is how widespread was the suspicion of Bradley's involvement with students at SVHS. The article mentions "sexual assault". If Bradley is in a car with a 15-year-old behind Target, wasn't it by plan? By agreement? He didn't drag her off the street, did he?
When kids play with fire, they need to be held accountable for their actions and activities. Sure, there is no excuse for a cop in a car with a 15-year-old at 10:30PM. It's "assault" only because she cannot give "legal" consent. Maybe the laws need to change, so that consensual activity cannot be charged as "assault". I totally "get" that she cannot consent, because she is a minor and is not legally competent to consent.
But just talk to any 15-year-old girl today. She is sexually aware. She's probably sexually active. Should every boy in high school worry about being charged with rape? Maybe he should.
Edited: Thanks to a reader with keen eyes, I learned of an article published on December 1, 2020 (edited on December 4, 2020) in the Post and Courier that reported Richland 2 School District's share was $600,000! If it was published also by The State newspaper, I didn't see it, and no one alerted me to it. I wonder when the School Board approved that payment! And what action was taken against the administrators responsible for it!
After reading that article, all I can say is, "Seriously?" In the second paragraph, the first words were "The girl alleged that Jamel Bradley assaulted her multiple times...
So, do I think he "assaulted" her several times? Or did they meet up for an illegal activity that is called "assault" in the penal code because she was a minor?
There is no reason to dole out $600,000 unless the girl really was assaulted which, in this case, I would guess she was not, if it occurred several times.
One of the girl's attorneys, James Moore, "praised his client for having the courage to come forward with information that helped lead to Bradley’s arrest." As our fearless leader would say, "Come on, man." Courage? Information that helped lead to Bradley's arrest? Was any willing participation just overlooked? Was she one of the "babies" so often mentioned by one school board member? Or was she truly an uncooperative victim who was kidnapped and forced to do any despicable act (s)?
