Home Care In Greenwood, SC

GREENWOOD, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Family, friends, and supporters of Tiffany Carroll are coming together to call for the release of the mother of five.

The Greenwood native is serving a 15-year sentence in the 2017 death of her abusive boyfriend.

“We’re calling for the release and exoneration of Tiffany Carroll,” said Rep. John McCravy.

For three and a half years, Carroll’s family has been hoping she can come home.

“My family grieves every day. We are in pain and sorrow,” said her sister Brenda McCullough.

In 2019, Carroll pleaded guilty but mentally ill to manslaughter in the death of William Jamal Johnson.

Carroll stabbed Johnson while the two were fighting.

After her arrest, a licensed clinical psychologist reported Carroll was in a “cycle of violence” and diagnosed her with Battered Woman Syndrome.

“We can’t say enough times that Tiffany was a victim of domestic violence,” said Meg’s House Executive Director Alice Hodges.

Carroll’s former second-grade teacher Mary Ann Wingard reconnected in recent years with Carroll and brought her case to the attention of Rep. McCravy.

“I noticed she looked very sad and very tired, but she was the same sweet person that I had known as a student,” said Wingard.

“The more I looked at it, the more I became convinced that the only way justice could be served is to free Tiffany from prison,” added McCravy.

McCravy is applying for a pardon for Carroll and says he has spoken with the eighth circuit solicitor, who reportedly told him he has no objections to a pardon and would even write a letter of support.

“She was not herself, she was not the (Tiffany) that we know, and we want her home, and she should be home with her family,” said McCullough.

McCravy says he could file the pardon paperwork as soon as next week. According to the SCDPPPS, it typically takes 7-9 months after pardon applications are submitted for a hearing date to be scheduled.

Carroll is also eligible for parole, and McCravy says she will have a hearing later this year.

Copyright 2023 WHNS. All rights reserved.

Family of Kenneth Hughes continues searching 2 months later

Infinite Scroll Enabled

GET LOCAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS

The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.

Your Email Address

Privacy Notice

GREENWOOD, S.C. —

It has almost been two months since 28-year-old Kenneth Hughes was last seen.

However, no matter how bad the weather was Thursday, friends, family, and the Greenwood community came together to lift each other's spirits in hopes Hughes will come home.

In a dark church in Greenwood County, the family and friends of Kenneth Hughes came together to pray for a miracle.

Hughes was last seen off of Rush Road in Hodges, South Carolina, on Nov. 16. Since then, the family has dealt with the ups and downs of new leads and disappointment.

"I mean, we do get leads. Not every day but every so often and we get excited because we think we're going to find him. Then we hit a brick wall and then it's nothing. Then we get another lead and it's the same thing," Hughes' aunt, Rhonda Crenshaw, said.

Crenshaw said Hughes' son is also taking it hard as he waits for his dad to come home.

"He's been asking when his daddy is coming to see him. He's been crying wanting to know if he is going to see him again. It's just sad. He doesn't understand, he's 6," Crenshaw said.

Recommended

Hurricane Nigel: Latest track, spaghetti models

Michael Hubbard with Loudwater Outfitters, an organization that works on missing persons and cold cases, has been helping the family since Hughes disappeared. He said people need to understand this can happen to anyone.

"People think that somebody can't go missing in their family or in their community. That's the worst thing. Out of all these mothers and family members that I've talked to, not just Kenneth Hughes's case but all of them. It's terrible," Hubbard said.

While Hughes' family sat in that quiet church praying for good news, Crenshaw said the stormy weather outside was proof of her nephew's presence.

"He's coming in with the hurricane just because the thunder, lightning, wind and all that. I just thought that was funny because that's him. He was just always full force," Crenshaw said.

"If you're out there listening, give us a phone call and let us know if you're alright because that's what we need. We need that comfort, that closure in this situation. Your dad and your son, they are looking for your return," Hughes' uncle, Bill Crenshaw, said.

The Greenwood Co. Sheriff's Office about Hughes's case and they sent the following statement:

"We appreciate the communities support and willingness to help in all of the searches that have been conducted to try and locate Hughes. Our investigators are continuing to track down leads and interview those willing to speak to us. We ask that anyone that may have any information to come forward or submit it anonymously by calling 1-888-crime-sc."

GREENWOOD, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - A new agency will soon be in charge of making sure your food is safe.

So FOX Carolina Investigates is looking at how inspections can improve because -- as one Upstate family found out -- they can be the difference between life and death.

Sept. 19, 2020

On September 19, 2020, John Laughlin picked up food from International Café in Greenwood, according to a lawsuit. Laughlin ordered fried rice and chicken wings for him, his wife and sister-in-law to share.

Hours later, all three were sick.

The next day, Laughlin was dead.

We filed a Freedom of Information Act request and uncovered that 19 complaints were filed with the state about International Café and customers getting sick.

The first was filed on March 29, 2020, and another in August 2020.

Then, in September 2020, 15 were filed, including nine on September 19, the same day Laughlin ordered from the restaurant.

According to a lawsuit filed by Laughlin’s wife against International Café, the rice Laughlin ordered had “been left sitting at room temperature for far too long and was contaminated with a bacteria” that can cause food poisoning.

Earlier this year, International Café settled the lawsuit for $825,000.

“We hope no one else will lose a loved one due to the failure to follow basic food procedures,” said Tombo Hite and Heather Hite Stone, Laughlin’s attorneys, in a statement.

We reached out to the attorneys who represented International Café in the lawsuit. Richard Simmons II, who worked the case, said they are pleased a settlement was reached.

“This settlement is fair for all the parties involved and satisfactorily resolves this matter,” Simmons said. “We wish the Laughlin Family all the best in the future.”

However, inspections from the Department of Health and Environmental Control show there were more issues at International Café.

In June 2022, another person reported getting sick after eating there. The following day DHEC inspected and found handwashing violations. Still, the restaurant got an A grade.

In April this year, another person reported getting sick, DHEC inspected and found managers lacked proper certification for handling food. They also noted issues with handwashing, citing it as a repeated violation.

Again, the restaurant got an A that stayed in place until they permanently closed in September, according to business filings.

On July 1, 2024, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture will take over food safety, which includes restaurant inspections.

“There’s a lot policies and practices and standard operating procedures that we’re going to address to try to make some of the decision making at the frontline level as opposed to having to go up the chain so to speak,” said Derek Underwood, the assistant commissioner for consumer protection with SCDA.

We asked Underwood if the department would be changing grading guidelines and implementing stricter penalties.

Underwood said they can’t comment on that yet but told us they’ll be taking a look at giving inspectors more power in the field.

“We’ll have a lot of policies and procedures in place that will assist our food safety officers in the field to be able to make determinations and take actions that now it might take a little bit longer to go through the chain of command of the process,” Underwood said.

Copyright 2023 WHNS. All rights reserved.

GREENWOOD, S.C. —

A company in South Carolina announced Friday it will hire hundreds of people during the holiday.

(Above video is the Friday morning headlines for 11/10/23.)

Officials at FUJIFILM North America Corporation’s Personalized Photo Products said they're looking for up to 600 seasonal employees for production jobs at the Greenwood.

The news comes as the company enters its busiest production season of the year, according to officials.

For more news, weather 24 hours a day- Download the WYFF News 4 app: Apple | Google Play

In July of 2021, the company announced it would consolidate at the Greenwood production plant, eliminating more than 400 jobs but kept 300 positions. Read more about that here.

Officials said the Greenwood plant now provides a wide variety of custom photo products ranging from photo books, prints and cards to ornaments, textiles, wall décor, and drinkware.

"The holiday season comprises our busiest time of the year at Fujifilm’s Personalized Photo Products Group," said Dwain Parrish, senior director of operations at FUJIFILM North America Corporation’s plant in Greenwood. "During this busy season, we rely on our seasonal workers to produce top quality personalized photo products that will delight our customers as they share photos with loved ones and friends."

The positions offer flexible work hours and shifts, "ideal for working parents, college students, or anyone looking for seasonal work," officials said.

The news comes just a day after another company that makes Cup Noodles and Top Ramen announced it will create 300 jobs in Upstate.

Primary job responsibilities for the available roles include the printing, cutting, assembly, and shipping of personalized photo products. Workers in these positions will produce a variety of images for personalized photo products from customer-submitted images via analog, digital and internet sources.

"It’s a source of pride for our team that these products are made right here in Greenwood," Parrish said. "These seasonal roles allow workers to become part of people’s holiday memories, creating personalized products that will carry memories for years to come. We think that’s pretty special, and we invite interested people 18+ in the Greenwood area to be a part of it and apply for an open role."

Other news: Police looking for man who spied on woman using bathroom at Upstate restaurant, official says

Fujifilm's seasonal roles are being filled through Effex Management Solutions, an employment agency in Greenwood.

For more information and to apply, click here.

A Greenwood man made a scaly friend on Saturday when he snatched an alligator out of waters near a residential area.

Jack Turner, 65, was headed home from Ninety Six with his granddaughter, Paislee Harrison, when they noticed someone out of their car and taking a picture of something. They pulled over on Highway 246, near Vines Road, thinking maybe someone stopped to take a picture of deer or some other wildlife. As they got closer, they realized an alligator was the center of attention.

“We got out and was watching it,” Turner said. “I grabbed it, but it got out and went under a man’s fence.”

As people tried to inform the property owner, the alligator made its way toward a creek. Turner said he was worried about the children and pets in the nearby homes and trailers, so he grabbed the ‘gator again.

In photos and videos that made their way onto social media, Turner held the alligator as people helped him tape its jaw shut so it wouldn’t bite anyone. Apparently, posts on social media had touted the alligator’s presence earlier, but not everyone believed the story.

“Everybody thought it was a hoax when people saw the pictures last week,” Turner said.

S.C. Department of Natural Resources official Greg Lucas said the agency sometimes does get hoax reports of alligators in public waterways. While DNR staff couldn’t tell where this alligator came from, he said often young alligators like this 3.5-foot specimen are bought as pets, and then released when they get too large to manage.

That’s dangerous for the animals, which often die in the colder Upstate waters, and also dangerous to wildlife and people in the area. DNR officials did answer Turner’s call and they seized the animal, which Lucas said is currently living at his house.

Lucas said he houses a few juvenile alligators, which he takes to classrooms as part of educational campaigns. DNR officials plan to take the seized alligator to the Alligator Adventure wildlife park in North Myrtle Beach. DNR has released alligators to that business in the past, but first they’ll need approval from the agency’s alligator biologist, and to secure a transportation permit for the animal.

Meanwhile, Turner said this was the kind of adventure only he and his granddaughter could have wound up in. He often finds himself chasing wildlife at home, whether it’s snapping turtles or goats, and he said Paislee has earned the moniker “gator girl” at school.