One of the main police defendants in the Southern Holdings case was arrested early Monday morning for criminal domestic violence and misconduct in office and fired from the Horry County Police Department hours after the incident.

Charles K. McLendon was arrested for actions taken against his estranged wife while on duty, in uniform using a Horry County Police Department vehicle.

McLendon demonstrated erratic, abusive and potentially lethal behavior during the incident, according to details of the arrest. His actions were not unlike those he demonstrated over 12 years ago during the Southern Holdings case.

A federal tort claims lawsuit, with Horry County and former Horry County Police Department Chief Johnny Morgan included as defendants, is moving forward in Florence federal district court as discovery and depositions are scheduled later this month. This is Part III of a series.

Last week, we posted the first two parts of this series. Part III concentrates on the attempts by plaintiffs’ expert Steve Cain to analyze the original videotapes shot from HCPD patrol cars of the arrest of James Spencer on August 6, 2000.

Cain had already analyzed a copy of the videotape from the police vehicle operated by HCPD officer Jay Brantley during the arrest of Spencer. The videotape from the Brantley vehicle was a key piece of evidence that backed up claims by Spencer of violation of civil rights and police brutality.

Sun News investigative reporter David Wren reported yesterday that Larry Duwayne Woods, the alleged mastermind behind the failed Bahama Island and Crystal Palace condominium projects financing scam, was arrested in San Diego, CA and will be returned to South Carolina to face charges.

Woods disappeared in 2007 when federal investigators began looking into the business dealings of local developers Jeff Shoup and Tommy Hix of T and J Development in North Myrtle Beach. Hix and Shoup are currently in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail, wire and bank fraud in connection with the failed condominium projects.

Woods, through his alleged business Atlewa Trust, was supposed to finance the projects, but got away with approximately $5 million of escrow money paid by advance purchasers of the condominiums.

At his website for his state senate candidacy, Rich Bolen states, “I want to be a Senator to reinstate the freedom we have lost to solve the problems we have.” However, over a year ago, I gave Bolen the opportunity to help the son of Doris Holt, who had been illegally abducted by the South Carolina Department of Social Services and whose story we have featured on this website.

I attended a meeting in early 2011 with Bolen, former Police Officer Rodney Lail and Doris Holt’s son. We met for several hours, as Bolen took pages of notes and reviewed evidentiary documents, during his interview with Lail and Doris Holt’s son. Bolen discussed his feelings of disdain about the pattern of abuse that was committed by SC-DSS and was especially concerned how Doris Holt could disappear for nine months without her son and friends knowing if she was alive or dead.

A S.C. Hotline, Grand Strand Daily Exclusive

It came to my attention recently that Stephanie Weissenstein, attorney for John Rakowsky, sent to the Court copies of two articles from Grand Strand Daily along with a letter dated January 9, 2012. While I appreciate Ms. Weissenstein making the court aware of the articles, I do question the logic stated in her letter.

In the letter, Weissenstein refers to the articles as “this slanderous campaign in effort to intimidate and harass my client and me, while also smearing the Courts.”

First of all, surely Weissenstein understands that the articles would fall under laws of libel, not slander, if she could ignore or negate the first amendment and prove malice aforethought. Second, her claims of intimidation, harassment and smearing fall apart when the facts included in the articles are considered.

  By Paul Gable An accounting for expense funds in the Southern Holdings case provided Sep. 15, 2011, to James Spencer, former CEO of Southern Holdings, Inc., does not conform to S.C. reporting requirements for attorney trust funds. The accounting, which, reportedly, comes from trust account records of attorney John [...]