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Doctors said Jack couldn’t go back to the facility because of the ongoing abuse. Jack couldn’t go home with his mom because Beth couldn’t care for him.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WBTV) – Seventeen-year-old Jack Hodges is a happy kid. He likes watching TV and playing games. He loves his mother.

These days he spends a lot of time at home with his mom, Beth Hodges, and an in-home caregiver.

Jack is non-verbal and has autism. He spent much of the past few years living in a group home under the supervision of the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs.

His mother says his first years at the facility were good. But that changed a little more than a year ago, when he started suffering a string of injuries. He made repeated visits to the hospital, with a broken collarbone, an infection on his leg, a bite on his finger, among other injuries.

His last stay in the hospital stretched weeks. Doctors said he couldn’t go back to the facility because of the ongoing abuse. He couldn’t go home with his mom because Beth – a single mother – couldn’t care for her son on her own.

So he sat in a Charlotte emergency room until Beth could convince the state to give her the help she needed to care for her son.

Kimberly Tissot, president of Able South Carolina, helped Beth fight to get her son care.

“This is an issue,” Tissot said of the lack of care readily available for Jack.

“There are a lot more Jacks in the community as well,” Tissot continued. “Jack is not the only one who has experienced such difficulty with getting services.”

There are a number of agencies in South Carolina that play a role in making sure someone like Jack has the care he needs. But the primary state agency is DDSN.

The agency, which is governed by a board of appointed commissioners, is under fire.

An audit by the South Carolina Legislative Audit Council in March found a list of issues with the agency.

“The current Commission has overreached in its role, may have violated state law, and has exhibited inappropriate behavior,” the audit council’s report found.

A list of problems in the report include the following:

-Commissioners allows “certain Commissioners to micromanage the agency when there is a competent director in place”

-Commission “spends money frivolously for items solely for the Commissioners, such as separate logo from the agency’s new logo, new conference room chairs, frames for Commissioners’ pictures, and soundproofing three conference rooms, one of which is used for public meetings.”

-Commission “expends much more in per diem and travel reimbursements than in years past”

-”Has members who use their positions as Commissioners to access information or acquire assistance for their own family members.”

The Legislative Audit Council has said its investigation into the agency continues.

But the March report was enough for a top South Carolina senator to move to tear the agency down and rebuild it.

Sen. Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington County), who chairs the Senate Family and Veterans’ Services Committee, authored a bill this year that would move the agency under the governor.

“The only way that we’re going to help people with disabilities and special needs is to get rid of that Commission, put somebody in charge of disabilities and special needs and make them accountable,” Shealy said. “Because there is no accountability right now.”

In an interview with WBTV, Shealy called the state of services for people with special needs in South Carolina as “dismal.”

Shealy’s bill to change how the agency is managed easily passed the Senate but is stalled in the statehouse. The senator said the path forward is clear if things don’t change.

“We’re going to continue to not serve the people of South Carolina, and it’s only going to get worse,” Shealy said.

In a statement, DDSN Interim Director Constance Holloway said she could not comment on the findings of the audit report but downplayed its findings.

“To be clear, this report focused on agency structure and governance; it did not focus on the services we provide in conjunction with our providers,” Holloway’s statement said.

“DDSN remains committed to the safe and quality care of those who rely on our services,” Holloway’s statement continued. “We appreciate our providers for their service, as well as the families who voice concerns so we can continuously improve service delivery in South Carolina.”

Beth Hodges was stunned to hear the agency was defending its record of supporting families.

She had to fight to get the in-home help she needed to bring her son Jack home to live with her. While she fought, he stayed in a hospital emergency room, which was ill equipped to care for him.

“Jack, to them, I think, is a number and a case and not a person,” Hodges said. “Otherwise, someone would have paid more attention sooner.”

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Priorities include strengthening the college’s internal culture, increasing its statewide impact

Thomas Hodges has been selected as dean of the University of South Carolina College of Education, effective Oct. 15.

As dean, Hodges will continue the work he has undertaken during his last 15 months as interim dean of the college. Among his priorities are further strengthening the college’s internal culture, increasing outreach across the state and diversifying the state’s teachers to better reflect the demographic makeup of South Carolina.

“I am honored and excited to lead the College of Education in advancing scholarship, teaching and service in support of our state’s communities and schools,” Hodges says. “The college boasts outstanding faculty, staff and students making real, substantive differences in education-related fields. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Provost Arnett and President Amiridis to further the academic and research mission of our university, with the goal of expanding the ways the College of Education can support education across the lifespan.”

Hodges has been with the university’s College of Education for more than 10 years. He began as an assistant professor in 2012, became an associate professor in 2015, and was named a full professor in 2020. His leadership role within the college has grown throughout that time — from interim department chair of instruction and teacher education, to associate dean for academic affairs, to executive associate dean for faculty and academic affairs, to, in July 2021, interim dean. He has also served as the director of the South Carolina Teacher Education Advancement Consortium through Higher Education Research and was recently appointed to the South Carolina Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force.

“Dr. Hodges has provided exceptional interim leadership to the College of Education, and he also brings the breadth of experience and vision needed to take the college forward to an even greater impact in and beyond our state,” President Michael Amiridis said.

“Education is such a critical component of elevating communities. It defines the kinds of access people have to certain careers and helps define the success of our state.”

- Thomas Hodges, Dean of the College of Education

Hodges is impressed by the college’s faculty and staff, and he hopes to continue strengthening the culture within the college by supporting all individuals within it.

“I said during the interview process that the college’s greatest asset is its people, and it always will be its people,” he says. “And in order for that to function well, we have to have a collective sense about where we are going, who we want to be, and who we intend to serve, and we have to understand our place and role within that. I think an important role of the dean is to help facilitate that direction in making people feel like the work that they do matters and that they have that sense of belonging.”

Hodges’ selection concludes a national search that saw the recruitment and consideration of many leaders across the field of education. In Hodges, the university found a leader with the support of the college and campus community, and with a demonstrated track record of growing the college’s footprint and reach across the state.

“In speaking with the College of Education’s administrative leadership team, seeing the overwhelming support for him across our university community, and recognizing his success as interim dean, it was apparent to me that Dr. Hodges was the perfect candidate to lead our college forward,” says Donna Arnett, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “I look forward to working with Dr. Hodges to grow the research and teaching profile of the college, and to further lead the state of South Carolina’s education system forward in the coming years.”

The College of Education is a leader across the state of South Carolina, maintaining meaningful partnerships with 87 percent of the state’s school districts. Its first-of-their-kind initiatives, such as the Carolina Teacher Induction Program, are preparing the next generation of the state’s teachers and attracting them to stay in-state following graduation. With this tremendous foundation, Hodges is focused on growing the college’s innovative programming and developing new programs to meet the needs of South Carolina.

“I look forward to advancing the college’s commitments to equity and diversity through signature programs like the Apple Core Initiative, Holmes Scholars, and the Carolina Collaborative for Alternative Preparation,” he says. “Education is such a critical component of elevating communities. It defines the kinds of access people have to certain careers and helps define the success of our state. We will continue to leverage these strengths, grow our impact and establish models for what a flagship College of Education can and should do.”

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Family of Kenneth Hughes continues searching 2 months later

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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.

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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."

Dominion Energy, the Virginia utility seeking to buy Cayce-based SCANA, has hired former S.C. Gov. Jim Hodges to lobby state lawmakers as they prepare to debate legislation that could scuttle the proposed $14.6 billion buyout.

Hodges is among nine lobbyists Dominion has retained to represent its interests in legislative fights, records show. Since Dominion announced the blockbuster deal Wednesday, Hodges and three others have been added to a team of five S.C. lobbyists that Dominion previously employed.

Dominion spokesman Chet Wade said Hodges and the three additional lobbyists were needed to help explain the utility’s point of view to S.C. lawmakers.

Some legislators have expressed skepticism about the SCANA buyout proposal and are pushing bills that Dominion says could kill the deal.

“This has drawn a lot of interest in the Legislature,’’ Dominion’s Wade said. “He (Hodges) is a well-known and well-respected individual. He understands even better than we do the issues that are important to the state.’’

Hodges could not be reached for comment Friday. His entry as a lobbyist could carry weight in the Legislature, where he has many contacts.

Hodges served a single four-year term as governor that ended in 2003. Before that, he was a longtime state representative and Democratic House leader.

Wade said Dominion retained the former governor as a consultant long before he registered as a lobbyist this week. Dominion moved into South Carolina about three years ago, buying SCANA’s natural gas pipeline network.

Now, the company is trying to buy SCANA, reeling from a nuclear construction fiasco that has halved its stock price and raised a chorus of criticism from customers and legislators.

SCANA, the parent corporation of SCE&G, abandoned building two nuclear reactors in Fairfield County last July after the utility and its junior partner, the state-owned Santee Cooper utility, had spent $9 billion on the effort. The joint decision left more than 5,000 people out of work and SCE&G customers asking why they had been billed almost $2 billion for reactors that would not be built.

A key concern for Dominion is whether the Legislature will kill portions of a 2007 law, the Base Load Review Act, which made it easier for SCE&G to charge its customers for the nuclear project before it was finished. The law also allows the utility to keep charging for the plant, even though it won’t be built.

As part of the proposed SCANA deal, Dominion offered to pay rebates of about $1,000, on average, to SCE&G’s residential customers, while cutting monthly power bills by $7. But Dominion insists it must continue to charge some nuclear-related costs to SCE&G customers over the next 20 years.

Critics say the rebate and lower rates are not enough to offset the almost $2 billion that SCE&G customers already have paid for the abandoned project.

Dominion’s nine-person lobbying team joins an already established team of lobbyists that SCANA employs to influence legislators, according to State Ethics Commission records. Those records show SCANA has eight legislative lobbyists, including longtime lobbyist Charlie Rountree.

In addition to Hodges, the lobbyists who registered to help Dominion this week are: Benjamin Homeyer, a former director of legislation for the S.C. House budget committee; John DeWorken, a lobbyist who represents the influential state Manufacturers Alliance; and Sunnie Harmon, who also represents the Manufacturers Alliance, according to state Ethics Commission records and the Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog organization that tracks energy issues.

They join Dominion’s team of S.C. lobbyists, including former state Rep. Billy Boan, who served in the Hodges administration.

Many of the lobbyists, including Hodges and Boan, work for the McGuireWoods firm, which has represented Dominion on legislative matters in Virginia. Hodges is chief executive of the firm.

Dominion has through the years been a major player in Virginia political battles, spending $10.6 million since 1996 on various campaigns and causes, according to a story last year in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The company’s political clout in Virginia is “overwhelming’’ the newspaper reported.

A Fortune 500 company headquartered in Richmond, Dominion is one of the nation’s largest energy utilities, with holdings from Virginia to New England and the Rocky Mountains.

John Crangle, a government watchdog with the S.C. Progressive Network, was skeptical that Hodges would carry any particular weight in the Legislature, noting he has been out of office for 15 years.

But, Crangle added, it’s clear why Dominion is beefing up its lobbying team.

“You know what Dominion is trying to do,’’ Crangle said. “They are trying to keep provisions of the Base Load Review Act that allow them to impose charges on people for that moribund nuclear reactor project.’’

This story was originally published January 5, 2018, 7:09 PM.

Former South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges said that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is headed for victory Saturday in the Palmetto State, based on strong support from moderates, African-Americans and Hispanics.

“I think he will win soundly on Saturday,” Hodges told “America’s Newsroom” on Thursday.

Hodges, who has endorsed the former vice president, was a Democratic governor of South Carolina from 1999-2003.

CLYBURN ENDORSES JOE BIDEN AHEAD OF SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY

Hodges' comments came after House Majority Whip James Clyburn endorsed Biden on Wednesday for the Democratic nomination for president, giving a boost to the former vice president, who is banking on the strong support of black voters to propel him to victory in South Carolina's primary.

Clyburn, a prominent South Carolina Democratic legislator and leader in the African-American community, made the announcement during a press conference in which he touted Biden’s record and their relationship.

“I’m voting for Joe Biden. South Carolinians should be voting for Joe Biden,” Clyburn said. “I know who he is, I know what he is. I know where this country is. We are at an inflection point.”

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Hodges said that the Democratic electorate is more “reflective” in the upcoming primary states, agreeing that Biden must win the state after previous losses in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

"South Carolina has been a pretty good indicator, particularly, of how African-American voters will vote in the subsequent states. I think that’s where things are strong for Biden," he said.

According to the latest RealClearPolitics average for the South Carolina primary, Biden is leading the field with 30.3 percent of the vote. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the virtual front-runner, is trailing the former vice president with 22.3 percent of the vote.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.