Laurens man sentenced to 35 years in prison for murdering girlfriend
Laurens, December 17, 2024 – A Laurens man is headed to prison for 35 years after pleading guilty last Monday to the execution-style killing of his girlfriend, 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo announced last Tuesday.
William Lloyd Todd Cagle, 50, of Laurens, pleaded guilty last Monday afternoon in advance of his January trial date at the Laurens County Courthouse to one charge of murder. The plea was taken straight-up, with a sentencing range under state law of 30 years up to life in prison. Circuit Judge Eugene C. Griffith Jr. then sentenced Cagle to 35 years in prison. A sentence for murder today must be served day-for-day, meaning Cagle will never be eligible for parole.
In September 2022, friends and family of Terry Chermak reported the 49-year-old Laurens resident missing. Chermak had been texting her sister that she no longer wished to marry Cagle, her boyfriend at the time. Chermak’s friends and family reported that the text messages they were receiving from Chermak changed as if someone else were texting from her phone. Chermak was last seen on September 9, 2022, as she was leaving work in Greenville.
Investigators with the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office discovered that Cagle had purchased a blue tarp, zip ties, and a shovel at the Ace Hardware store in front of the courthouse. Investigators searched Chermak’s property and discovered her body in a shallow grave wrapped in a blue tarp that was secured by zip ties. Investigators determined that Cagle placed a bag over Chermak’s head and shot her one time in the back of the head. Investigators located a .357 revolver in the house that had one spent round in the cylinder. Cagle then stole Chermak’s vehicle, cell phone, and debit cards. Cagle abandoned the vehicle at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport and he was later apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Denver, Colorado.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Solicitor Jared Simmons and Assistant Solicitor Mary-Madison Driggers with assistance from 8th Circuit Victim Advocate Lauren Powers and Investigator Joey Pittman. Cagle was represented by Joel Broome of the 8th Circuit Public Defender’s Office.
Solicitor Stumbo praised the work of his staff along with LCSO investigator Logan Kanipe in securing the conviction and lengthy prison sentence.
“Murders as a result of domestic violence unfortunately continue to plague our State, but as long as that is the case we will continue to seek justice for these victims and their surviving families,” Solicitor Stumbo said. “William Cagle will be behind bars where he belongs for likely the rest of his natural life, and we pray that Terry Chermack’s friends and family can begin to heal from this terrible tragedy.”
Undocumented immigrant gets maximum sentence for crash that killed 3-year-old
Laurens, December 18, 2024 – An undocumented immigrant received the maximum prison sentence for his role in a crash that killed a 3-year-old girl, 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo announced last Wednesday.
Gabriel Arteaga-Arteaga, 26, was found guilty last Wednesday afternoon by a Laurens County jury of reckless homicide and driving without a license. Circuit Judge Frank R. Addy Jr. then sentenced Arteaga-Arteaga to 10 years in prison on the reckless homicide charge—the maximum sentence allowed under South Carolina law for that charge—and 45 days on the charge of driving without a license, second offense.
Arteaga-Arteaga was driving a white pickup truck on the afternoon of Sunday, October 8, 2023, along Chestnut Ridge Road in Laurens County when he completely disregarded the stop sign at Highway 76 and struck a red SUV driven by Ms. Teresa Leopard on the passenger side. Leopard had three passengers in her vehicle: her daughter Chelsey Hines, Hines’ 7-year-old daughter Kinsley, and Hines’ 3-year-old-daughter, Madison. Madison Hines received fatal injuries as a result of the crash. Chelsey Hines also received serious injuries as a result of the collision.
Arteaga-Arteaga is an undocumented immigrant and did not have a driver’s license at the time of the crash. When asked for his license at the scene, Arteaga-Arteaga handed the trooper a Mexican identification card. A witness, Robin Thomason, who lives in the area, testified that Arteaga-Arteaga pulled out in front of him and almost caused another collision just moments before at another nearby intersection. There was no evidence of impairment due to alcohol or drugs involved in the collision.
Solicitor Stumbo and Deputy Solicitor Josh Thomas prosecuted the case for the state with assistance from 8th Circuit Investigator Joey Pittman and 8th Circuit Victim Advocate Lauren Powers. Arteaga-Arteaga was represented by Zachary Farr of the Spartanburg County Bar.
Solicitor Stumbo praised the work of his staff and the South Carolina Highway Patrol in securing the conviction and maximum prison sentence.
“As a father myself I am devastated for Chris and Chelsey’s loss of little Maddie so needlessly,” Solicitor Stumbo said following the sentencing. “The unfortunate reality is that this man was in our country illegally, operating a vehicle illegally, and driving our roads with blatant disregard for the safety of others. I am hopeful that the time of bad actors like Arteaga-Arteaga so easily making their way across our porous southern border is coming to an end.”
Teacher, alleged identity theft
Bryia Scott, posing as “Viola Church”, was employed through the Laurens District 55 school system. The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the school district in reference to this individual impersonating another in order to gain this employment at Waterloo Elementary.
LCSO followed up with an investigation and as a result, Bryia Lattimore Scott of Simpsonville was arrested today (Dec. 19) at approximately 11:35AM and charged with Identity Fraud to Unlawfully Obtain Employment.
Attorney General Alan Wilson announces Upstate man charged with stealing from nursing home resident
COLUMBIA – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud unit (VAMPF) has arrested Darryl J. Floyd, 57 years old, of Laurens, S.C., for Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult {43-35-0085 (D)} and Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent, value $10,000 or more. Floyd was booked into the Anderson County Detention Center on December 18, 2024.
An investigation by VAMPF revealed that, between October 12, 2023 and July 12, 2024, Floyd is alleged to have knowingly made unlawful and unauthorized use of the funds and assets of a vulnerable adult. Specifically, it is alleged that Floyd, while entrusted as the victim’s power of attorney, converted funds and assets of the victim for his own use. The victim, a vulnerable adult under South Carolina law, resided at Richard Campbell Nursing Home in Anderson at the time of the alleged misconduct.
These allegations were referred to VAMPF by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health. This case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.
Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Breach of Trust, value $10,000 or more is a felony and, upon conviction, has a penalty of up to 10 years in prison or a fine at the discretion of the court.
Pursuant to federal regulations, VAMPF has authority over Medicaid provider fraud; abuse and neglect of Medicaid beneficiaries in any setting; and the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of individuals residing in assisted living facilities or nursing homes.
Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.
The South Carolina Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, dba VAMPF, receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,889,252 for federal fiscal year 2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $963,084 for FFY 2025, is funded by South Carolina.
