Monthly Archives: September 2026
This week in the PICKENS COUNTY COURIER’s FOOTBALL FRENZY Sponsored by MOUNTAIN VIEW FUNERALS AND CREMATIONS
DEVILDOG DEMOLTION
Red Devils hold off travelers rest comeback attempt
Also inside:
- Lions to open region with Walhalla
- Eastside takes down Easley
- Blue Flame prepare for Berea
- Clemson holds off California
All this and more in this week’s FOOTBALL FRENZY, sponsored by Mountain View Funerals and Cremations available only in the Pickens County Courier.
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PCSO deputies fired after arrests
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COUNTY — Two Pickens County Sheriff’s Office deputies were fired recently after being arrested in Tennessee.
Sheriff Tommy Blankenship announced the firings in a Facebook Live video posted on Sept. 24. Though Blankenship did not name the deputies, they have been publicly identified as former K-9 handlers Corey Baker and Nikki Holliday.
“Recently, two of our deputies were arrested and charged with public intoxication while outside of this state,” he said. “As soon as this information came to my attention, both deputies were placed on unpaid administrative suspension while our Office of Professional Standards conducted their internal investigation.”
That investigation was completed Sept. 23, Blankenship said.
“Based on those findings, I have made the decision to terminate both deputies’ employment
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Sunday fire burns Pickens store
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — A Pickens convenience store is believed to a be a total loss following an early-morning fire on Sunday.
Pickens County Emergency Services director Billy Gibson said Tuesday the first call came in at
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Wanted man charged after police standoff
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
LIBERTY — A man wanted on multiple bench warrants faces additional charges after a 
standoff with law enforcement.
According to a Pickens County Sheriff’s Office release issued Tuesday, deputies developed information that Robert Vernon George was hiding out at a home on Rices Creek Road in Liberty on Sept. 15.
The release said George was being sought on eight general
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Woman sentenced in 2023 death of Easley officer
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
EASLEY — The woman whose actions led to the death of an Easley Police Officer Matthew Hare three years ago has been sentenced to prison time in the case.
Gabrielle Alexis Benites, 28, pleaded guilty on July 10 to breach of peace of a high and aggravated nature, 13th Circuit Solicitor Cindy Crick said in a release issued Friday.
Judge Edward Miller sentenced Benites to seven years in the South Carolina Department of Corrections on Friday, Crick said.
She said that during the plea and sentencing, deputy solicitor
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Table Rock Road bridge to close
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — The bridge over the Oolenoy River on Table Rock Road will close for repairs next 
week, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
SCDOT announced in a news release Monday that it will close and detour the Table Rock Road (S.C.
Wilson: Local groups receive state and federal grants
By Jason Evans
Staff Reporter
jevans@thepccourier.com
COLUMBIA — Two Pickens County organizations that help victims of crime were recently awarded grant funding, according to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.
The funding is part of more than $29 million in federal and state grants awarded throughout the state, Wilson said in a Sept. 23 release.
The S.C. Public Safety Coordinating Council formally approved the grants earlier this year, and the projects will begin on Oct. 1, he said.
Wilson said four types of grants will be distributed by the his office’s Department of Crime Victim Assistance — Victims of Crime Act
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SC250 invites fourth grade teachers to apply for Liberty Day at the Statehouse
COLUMBIA — Fourth grade teachers from public schools across South Carolina are invited to apply for the 2027 Liberty Day at the Statehouse, a one-of-a-kind educational experience that brings South Carolina history and civics to life for students from across the state.
The deadline for teacher applications is Friday, October 2, 2026.
Liberty Day will be held Friday, February 19, 2027, at the South Carolina Statehouse. As part of the state’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, 250 fourth grade students will spend the day learning about the people, places, and ideas that shaped
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American Pickers to film in SC
STATE — The American Pickers are excited to return to Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. They plan to film episodes of The History Channel hit television series throughout the region in November 2026. American Pickers is a documentary series that explores the fascinating world of antique “picking” on The History Channel. The hit show follows skilled
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