SPARTANBURG COUNTY

Clerk of Court
Common Pleas

2015/2016
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
General Sessions .........................Page 3

Common Pleas............................Page 4

Accounting/Payments ................Page 5

Child Support Enforcement ......Page 6

Family Court ...............................Page 7

Courthouse Security ..................Page 8

Scanning ......................................Page 9

Special Recognition ..................Page 10

Employee of the Year................Page 10

Trivia ..........................................Page 11

www.spartanburgcounty.org | 864-596-2591
 A Message from our Clerk of Court

t is with great pleasure that I present to you our 5th Annual

Clerk of Court newsletter. My staff and I are continuing with
our improvements to ensure good customer service and better
operations for all our constituents. Some of these continuations
include:

• The continuation of the State’s Set-off Debt Collection program

to help collect court costs (fines & fees) and Child Support by
interception of tax returns (State or Federal).

• The continuation of the Mandatory Alternative Dispute

Resolution (ADR) where it is mandated that all cases that are not
exempt must complete Mediation in an attempt to resolve the case
through a Mediator without litigation by the time the case reaches
300 days old.

• The continuation of our cross-training initiative in each division of the Clerk of Court Office has proven
to be beneficial to the public and to the court system as a whole by having staff members in place to offer
“back-up” service in the event that an employee is out of the office. A major discovery was made during
cross-training. Cases dating back as far as 12 years had not been scheduled properly. Those cases were
corrected immediately.

In October 2014, the Spartanburg County Security Team led by Major Neal Urch and other courthouse
security personnel, provided by the Spartanburg County Sheriff ’s Office, recommended the upgrade
of surveillance cameras after my presentation to County Council about the courthouse structure. We
added ten color high definition cameras and replaced several of our intial thirteen cameras. Many of
those thirteen cameras were black and white and obsolete. Currently, our twenty-three state-of-the-art
surveillance cameras provide better security for all who visit and work at the courthouse.

Lastly, the Spartanburg County Clerk of Court Office facilitated a team building event last September
for all employees. Please know that I still serve under the commitment to offer the most effective and
efficient services to our residents of Spartanburg County. I would like to again thank you for allowing me
to lead and serve as your Clerk of Court in the BEST County in the state.

Sincerely,

Hope Blackley
Hope Blackley
Spartanburg County Clerk of Court

2
General Sessions
Dockets
Beginning in October 2008, Justice
Toal signed an order that gave the
judges control of the docket for
General Sessions. This was a pilot
program that has worked very well and
is now being looked at as a possible
model for the entire State of South
Carolina.
The Spartanburg Clerk of Court
has a Court Coordinator that works
directly with the Circuit Court Judges
and keeps the records for appearances,
pleas, trials, etc.
Beginning January 1, 2015, The
Honorable J. Derham Cole took over
as the Chief Judge for Administrative
Purposes for the General Sessions
Division.
Legal Representation
Once a person is arrested, he/she
is scheduled for a First Appearance,
which is scheduled 2 months from
his/her arrest date. At the First
Appearance, the Judge talks with
the defendants about retaining a
private attorney, a public defender
or proceeding Pro Se (represent
themselves). A representative from
the public defender’s office is at the
appearance to begin the qualification
process with defendants who wish to
use their services. A representative
from the solicitor’s office is also
available to talk with defendants
who wish to represent themselves.
A Second Appearance is then set 2
months after the First Appearance.
This is when the attorneys or
defendants advise the Judge if the
case is a trial, plea or is being handled
in another way. Once this process is
completed, the case will be moved to a
trial or plea docket.
Court Schedule
We hold court an estimated 2
weeks each month. Normally, we
have 2 judges, one who handles trials
and one who handles plea hearings.
The court schedule is set by Court
Administration.
Cases are set on either a 180-day or
365-day track. This means that cases
should be heard between 180 days and
365 days depending on the charge. All
murders or criminal sexual conduct
cases are automatically set for the 365-
day track. The judge can change the
day track if requested by the attorney.
Once a case is indicted by the Grand
Jury it can then be added to the trial
docket.
Notification
When any docket is published, the
attorneys on each case are notified via
email of the court date by the Clerk of
Court’s office. All defendants that do
not have attorneys are notified by mail
through the Clerk of Court’s office. If a
defendant has a change of address, he/
she MUST advise the court through
the Clerk of Court’s office by filling
out a Change of Address form and
presenting a valid ID.
Destruction of
Criminal Exhibits
There are several hundred pieces
of evidence that are eligible for
destruction dating as far back to
1976. The Clerk of Court will have
the ultimate responsibility for
authorizing disposal of the evidence
that is stored in the evidence room.
Items of no value and contraband
will be destroyed. Items of value will
be returned to the rightful owner
if ownership can be established,
including but not limited to submitting
arresting agency. The Clerk will
notify the owner of the property
prior to disposal. Notification will
be accomplished through a first class
letter sent to the last known address.
If the owner does not respond within
30 days, the property will be forfeited
to the Spartanburg County Clerk of
Court’s Office for disposal as deemed
appropriate. The Clerk of Court will
adequately give notice to the parties of
the exhibits to be destroyed and give
them their opportunity to reclaim the
exhibits under the SCACR 606(d) (1)
(C). Only certain exhibits that were
submitted in General Session Court
for cases that were tried, adjudged
or otherwise disposed of prior to
2003 that meet the requirements for
destruction under the SC Code of
Laws will be destroyed. The clerk has
the right to witness the destruction
of all exhibits according to law. All
exhibits must be in the possession of
the Clerk of Court for the required 18
months retention period as set forth in
Rule 606 and subsequently in custodial
possession for the required (7) seven
year period under the Preservation of
Evidence Act, S.C. Code Ann 17-28-
300 et al. The Clerk of Court will not
destroy any exhibits pertaining to
Capital cases or pertaining to crimes
listed under the Preservation of
Evidence Act, S.C. Code Ann. 17-28-
320.
Welcome new temporary trans-
fer to General Sessions Kimberly
McKinney
3

Common Pleas
Daybook Announcement
We are pleased to announce the implementation of
General Sessions
the Online Common Pleas Daybook beginning Monday,
December 1, 2014. The daybook consists of lis pendens and
judgments that have been filed, but are still being processed
by the Clerk of Court’s Office. The daybook is updated
within minutes of a new document being filed. Documents
are removed from the daybook once they are indexed
into the main system which can be searched by selecting
“online case search” from the navigation menu. The
implementation of the daybook will allow anyone running
a search to check to see if there is a lis pendens or judgment
filed, but waiting to be processed. In the case of the lis
pendens, an actual image will be available. The judgment
daybook will be a spreadsheet with the defendant’s name,
the clock date/time and the case number only. If you have
any questions regarding the daybook, please email Marsha
Long at malong@spartanburgcounty.org.
The daybook can be accessed through the Spartanburg
County website, www.spartanburgcounty.org, Clerk of
Court.
Alternative Dispute
Resolution Update (ADR)
As of June 1, 2013, an Order signed by Chief Justice Jean
H. Toal, dated March 14, 2013, went into effect designating
Spartanburg County for Mandatory ADR. ADR mandates
that all cases that are not exempt have completed Mediation
in attempt to resolve the case through a Mediator, without
4
Common Pleas
litigation by the time the case reaches 300 days old. We
have disposed of 146 total cases by settlement, dismissal
for dormancy, or by ending Notice of Intent Cases once
the pre-suit Mediation has taken place this year. The most
common question asked about ADR is what to do if more
time is needed to complete mediation. If you are seeking an
extension for the mediation deadline, please email Marsha
Long at malong@spartanburgcounty.org for the court
approved Consent Motion and Order Form to Extend the
Mediation Deadline. This will need to be filled out, signed
by all attorneys, and then submitted along with a Motion
cover-sheet and a $25.00 filing fee to Marsha Long in the
Clerk’s office.
Jury Docket Update
The jury docket continues to hold bi-monthly Status
Conferences to set cases for trial this year. We also held two
Date Certain Scheduling Meetings to set cases that have
indicated they need a Date Certain trial date. We have held
several trials this year. Beginning this year, our civil deputy
clerks trained and started going into the courtroom to allow
our general sessions deputy clerks to have a break when
general sessions is not holding court. Beginning January 1,
2015, The Honorable R. Keith Kelly took over as the Chief
Judge for Administrative Purposes for the Common Pleas
Division, so please begin addressing all protection requests
and Orders to Judge Kelly.
New employee(s) to Common Pleas are
Kerry Shaw, Jury Coordinator,
Shana Baber, and Pamela Moore
Accounting/Payments
Upgrade
The Payments division received a
system upgrade earlier this year and
our main server is now housed at a
separate facility. The relocation of
the server allows for more efficient
monitoring and quicker maintenance
response time by the Spartanburg
County IT Department. The upgrade
has enhanced our system making
processes run quicker and smoother.
Thank you to the Spartanburg
County IT Department!
Setoff Debt
The Setoff Debt Collection Act,
Chapter 56 of Title 12 of the South
Carolina Code (1976), authorizes
public entities to participate in the
state’s Setoff Debt Collection Program.
Using a 1992 amendment to the Setoff
Debt Collections Act, SCAC has been
assisting county governments and
other county entities to participate in
the Setoff Debt Collection Program.
Individuals who appeared in
General Sessions court in Spartanburg
County and pled guilty or were
found guilty are subject to pay fines
and/or court costs. In 2014, The
Spartanburg County Clerk of Court
(COC) participated in the Setoff
Debt Collection program. Through
collaboration with the SC Association
of Counties and the Department of
Revenue, taxes were intercepted from
defendants who had outstanding
balances in General Sessions’ court
for more than a year. Through
this program the COC was able to
intercept over $116,000.00 from
individuals’ State income taxes and
apply them to their fines and/or court
costs.
Child Support and Taxes
Every month the Department of
Social Services reviews their active
child support case load. Each payer
who has an open balance of $500.00 or
more during their review is placed on
a list which is sent to the Department
of Revenue (DOR) requesting that the
overdue balance be intercepted from
the individual’s Federal and State taxes.
Each month DSS sends an updated
list to DOR advising them to increase
or decrease the payer’s debt. In 2014,
the COC intercepted over $258,000.00
in State taxes. The Department of
Social Services processes the Federal
tax interceptions. Through tax
interception, many custodial parents
have been able to receive child support
payments that otherwise would stay
delinquent.
NO PERSONAL
CHECKS
Effective February 1, 2015, the COC
will no longer accept personal or
bill pay checks to pay child support,
alimony, fines and/or court costs.
This is a practice of many other
counties in South Carolina. This will
ensure that the proper amounts of
funds are available to cover the cost of
each payment.
Payers can still pay by cash, cashier
checks, money orders and credit/debit
cards. Credit/debit cards can only be
used when they are not set for court
and a judge has not ordered them to
pay an amount plus court costs. Credit
card payments are not available over
the phone or internet at this time.
Cross-Training
The Spartanburg Clerk of Court
began an initiative to have staff
cross-trained on various duties within
each department of the courthouse.
Each employee within the Payments
Department is being trained to be
a backup person for another staff
member. This helps the office run
smoothly when staff members are
absent due to illness or vacation. It
promotes cohesiveness and teamwork.
Robin Jeter is being cross-trained to
perform bank reconciliations and to
compile monthly reports. Jeri Willis is
being cross-trained to process Setoff
Debt payments and tax interceptions.
Sonya Davis is receiving training on
bank procedures and processing and
printing child support checks. Each
staff member is working diligently
to promote an efficient working
environment for the Payments TEAM.
New employee to the Payments
Division is Sonya Davis.
5
 Child Support Enforcement

Changes Conversion Update Printouts

Child Support Enforcement (CSE) The conversion to the state’s Child CSE can provide a letter stating a
continues to improve services by Support Enforcement System (CSES) party does not receive support through
making changes with the duties of the is now called the Integrated Child the Clerk of Court’s office. The party
team members and the way cases are Support Services Division (ICSSD). would come into the CSE office with a
handled. We have also made changes A conversion date has not been set picture ID and pay a fee of $1.00, then
to the court hearings, such as adding at this time to allow time for the a form will be completed by a team
team members to assist with the sign review to be completed and plans member.
in process and pulling the paperwork made for the work to be done. ICSS
for each case. Wage Withholding unit continues to CSE can provide a printout showing
be effective with collecting support. all payments, charges and balances on
Having the bailiffs assist with child CSE has one team member to process a case. Only the parties listed on the
support contempt hearings, has been a the Wage Withholdings information case will be able to obtain a printout.
General Sessions
great benefit. The bailiffs assisting with from ICSS and from our caseworkers.
these hearings allow cases and people This process helps get the Wage
The cost is $1.00 per year needed.

to get into the courtroom quickly Withholding information or request

to reduce down-time in between to the employer more efficiently. We Case Maintenance
hearings. have also set up contact with the locate CSE team has been working
services overtime on cases that have arrears
Resources
Beginning in October 2008, Justice office is in
at Columbia
the appearanceand this has been
to begin the This
to means
make that with
contact casesthe
should be heard
parties, to
Toal signed an order that gave the a great help
qualification in locating
process parties.
with defendants
CSE has payment information lines collect arrears owed, to close thede-
between 180 day and 365 days case
Judge’s
that control of24the
are available docket
hours for The
a day. Gen- who wish to use their services. A ifpending
needed,on to the charge.
update Any murders
information on
eral Sessions.
numbers This wasand
are 596-2379 a pilot
596-pro- New Brochure
representative from the solicitor’s or criminal
the sexual
parties and conduct
to ensure ourcases
caseare
2380.
gramCSE that does not givevery
has worked payment
well and CSE is also
office creating a brochure
available to talkfor
with information
automaticallyis set
correct.
for theEvery teamtrack.
365 day
information over the telephone
is now being looked at as a possible to the public providing information
defendants who wish to represent member
The Judge can change the day to
is working very hard track if
protect
changethe forprivacy
the entireof the
Stateparties. The
of South related to child
themselves. A support issues. This is
Second Appearance process
requestedas many
by thecases as possible.
attorney. Once a case
payment
Carolina. information line will give the brochure will contain information
then set 2 months after the First Ap- is indicted by the Grand Jury it can
date of the last payment, the payment on how to make payments, how to The CSE team members continue
pearance. This is when the attorneys then be added to the trial docket.
amount and the balance. get information on your account to work toward improving procedures
The Spartanburg Clerk of Court has a and or defendants
other resourcesadviseavailable
the Judge to ifallthe and services to make the Clerk of
Court Coordinator that works direct- case is a trial, plea or
A lot of useful information is located parties. This will include websites is being handled When any
Court’s docket
Child is published
Support the
Enforcement
ly with the Circuit Court Judges
on the Clerk of Court’s website, www. and and telephone numbers of programsis
in another way. Once this process attorneys on each
office more efficient. case are notified via
keeps the records for appearances,
spartanburgcounty.org/govt/depts/ completed
such as South theCarolina
case willDepartment
be moved to email of the court date by the Clerk of
pleas,
coc/ trials,
along withetc.the forms for change trial
of or plea
Social docket.
Services, Integrated Child Court’s office. Any
We welcomed 3 newdefendants that do
team members
of address and direct deposit. There Support Services Division (ICSSD) notchild
to havesupport
attorneys are notified by mail
enforcement,
isOnce
also aa link to the South Carolina
person is arrested they are and
We the
holdUpstate
court an Fatherhood
estimated Program.
2 weeks Kourtney
through the Dill, Myskevia
Clerk McFadden,
of Court’s office. If
Department of Social Services
scheduled for a First Appearance The entire CSE
each month. Normallyteam is working
we have 2 and Nataliehas
a defendant Reyes .
a change of address
Integrated Child Support
which is scheduled Services
2 months from together
judges, oneto make this brochure
that handles a great
trials and one they MUST advise the court through
Division website. source of information to the public.
their arrest date. At the First Appear- that handles plea hearings. The court the Clerk of Court’s office by filling out
This brochure should be ready by
ance the Judge talks
You can reach CSE by usingwith the defend- scheduleofis2015.
January set by Court Administra- a Change of Address form and pre-
ants about retaining a
this email address: cocsptenf@ private attorney, tive. senting a valid ID.
a public defender or proceeding Pro
spartanburgcounty.org
Se (represent themselves). A repre- Cases are set on two different day
sentative from the public defender’s tracks of either 180 day or 365 day.

6
 Family Court
Mediation
As of June 1, 2013, Spartanburg
County is a mandated mediation
county. Cases that have any contested
issues must go before a mediator to try
to resolve the contested issues.
New Order
As of August 27, 2014, Chief
Justice Toal signed a new benchmark
order. All domestic relations and
juvenile cases in the State of South
Carolina, with the exception of DSS
Abuse and Neglect cases, shall be
disposed of within 365 days of their
filing. Further, the Family Court Chief
Judges for Administrative Purposes
(Chief Administrative Judges) shall
direct and oversee the monitoring
of all cases which are older than 365
days, and for which no final hearing
has been requested. Once a case older
than 365 days has been scheduled
for a final hearing, only the Chief
Administrative Judge for the circuit
or county may continue it, even if the
request for continuance is received by
the assigned judge during the week of
trial. If any case that is filed from June
1, 2013 and after has any contested
issues, mediation must be done before
a hearing can be requested. Please do
not ask for a pre-trial hearing unless
it is approved by the Administrative
Judge.
Once parties have been to mediation,
you will submit the mediation report
along with the hearing request.
ABC Docket
Docket will set the hearing according
to the time allotted on the mediation
report. Cases that have never been
set before will be set as a “B” or “C”
case. If a “B” or “C” case is continued
prior to their trial day for any reason,
it is reset as originally categorized. “A”
“B” case would remain a “B”, etc. The
only way for a “B” or “C” case to get
upgraded to an “A” case is if a “B” or
“C” case has not reached for trial on
its given date. Cases that require a half
day or more of court time will have
backup cases, i.e three cases are set for
the date and time, case “A” settles. The
agreement will be put on record then
the “B” case will move forward. The
“C” case will then be continued and
reset as a “B” case.
The morning of the trial, the trial
judge would see the lawyers of all
three cases and determine what has
settled and what is going to trial. The
settlements will get put on the record
and released before a trial starts.
Reminders
Please remember the Guardian Ad
Litem (GAL) on your cases. When
requesting a hearing, please make sure
you fill in all of the attorney’s and GAL
information.
Please note when sending Orders
to the Clerk’s office to be filed, please
provide the copies as well.
Cross-Training
We have been working very hard
in Family Court with cross-training.
Kimberly McKinney has been cross-
training with Melissa Tripplet in the
docket. Melissa has also been training
with the front counter, new Domestic
cases, and court appointments. We
also have Trina Ferguson training
on new Domestic cases, court
appointments, and Orders to Appoint
Interpreters. Charles Fletcher is
training on F-11’s (single page filings)
and Juveniles.
New employees to Family Court are
Trina Ferguson and Charles Fletcher
7
Courthouse Security
Article provided by Major Neal Urch
Most of us do not give a second
thought to safety and security
measures until an event occurs that
causes us to react. There are certain
safety measures which we perform
everyday by instinct. When you are
driving your automobile, you will do
certain things you have been taught to
do because it increases your chances of
arriving safely at your destination, such
as coming to a full stop and looking
both ways before proceeding through
an intersection. You know that if you
fail to do so that you run a higher risk
of becoming involved in an accident.
General Sessions
The potential for something going
wrong very quickly exists in the
county courthouse. Just think about
the different citizens coming into the
courthouse every day for some type
of service. Some of them are not very
happy to be there and there are a lot of
charged emotions. I think all of us are
empathetic to our citizens and what
could possibly be a very traumatic
situation for them.
Surveillance
Camera Update
The security team at the courthouse
is there to help provide a level
of safety and security. They have
specific assignments and cannot be
everywhere, so it is essential that we
all work together to help make our
work environment safer, which is
why we advised Clerk of Court, Hope
Blackley, of additional safety measures
for a better secure courthouse. These
measures included the installment of
more surveillance cameras throughout
the building. In addition to the 13
cameras installed in the courthouse
about 10 years ago, 10 more were
recently added in October of last year
8
based on security concerns for blind
areas, recommended by the Sheriff ’s
Office Security Courthouse Team.
ONLY the cameras where the metal
detectors are located have audio. This
was based on security officers request.
All other cameras located in the
hallways of the courthouse do not have
audio. We hope that this will make
everyone who works in or around the
courthouse every day feel safer. While
it is realized that a security camera
may have only a small preventative
value, the recordings that are captured
when something does happen may
prove invaluable.
As stated above, the security team at
the courthouse is there for your safety
and protection. They will be willing
to assist you in any way they can and
want to make you feel safe in your
workplace. We appreciate what each
of you do to make our judicial system
function and are proud to have you as
part of our team!
Safety Tips
There are some things that all of us
who work in or around the courthouse
could do as preventative measures
which would help improve everyone’s
safety.
1.) When you are arriving or
departing from the courthouse, pay
attention to your surroundings and if
something does not look or feel right,
report it to security personnel or call
911, so it may be investigated more
thoroughly.
2.) You may be arriving at or
departing from work with files, purses,
or other items which you need to
carry. Before exiting your car or the
building to go to your car, have these
items organized and make sure you
have your keys in your hand, so you
do not expose yourself any longer than
necessary.
3.) Try to leave or arrive in a
group. There is strength in numbers.
4.) When you are moving about
in your office area or throughout the
hallways, pay attention to who is there
and what they are doing. Usually, there
is some sort of indicator that someone
is up to some suspicious activity. It is
better to have it checked out and it be
nothing, than ignore it and something
happen. This is also a good time to
look for any trip or slip hazards and
either remove them or report them
immediately.
5.) Be cautious in giving out too
much information. It is difficult for us
to know what a person’s motivation
is for asking but if a person is asking,
irrelevant questions related to your
job function, you should refer them
to your supervisor. Never give
someone you don’t know any personal
information.
6.) Be able to recognize
others who commonly work in
the courthouse. There are many
different offices and services provided
throughout the building, but if you
are able to recognize someone as
being employed there, it will give you
another person who may be available
to assist you in an emergency situation.
These are just a few of many different
things which you can practice every
day you come to work which will
increase your safety and once you
practice them for a while it will
become habit. We all can help each
other as a safety team.
New Baliffs to the Clerk of Court
Phil Hyatt Michael Greene
Ben Alford
Scanning
The Scanning Department’s function is to create digital
copies of the physical files generated within Family Court
and Child Support. The benefits to this are two-fold: it
allows faster service for the public to be able to pull up
documents on the computer instead of having to wait for
the file to be retrieved; and it provides a backup in case
the original documents are damaged or destroyed. Our
William High
Joan McKeown
document management system allows the documents to
be indexed individually, as well as, part of the parent file.
This organization provides a faster method of searching for
individual documents.
New employee to scanning is Justin Wheeler
9
 Employee of the Year

It is with great pleasure that the Spartanburg County Clerk of Court

recognizes Maribel Martinez, as Employee of the Year by her co-workers.

Maribel began working for the Spartanburg Clerk of Court in July, 2006.
She is currently a Deputy Court Clerk and the interim Common Pleas
Non-Jury docket clerk. Maribel has worked in different areas of the Clerk
of Court’s office and has been a great
asset to the office.

We are grateful to have her as a

Spartanburg County Clerk of Court
employee and appreciate all that she
does for our office.

Maribel Martinez

Special Recognition

This year employees with 20+ years of

service with Spartanburg County were
recognized by the Clerk of Court and
honored with a plaque and flowers.

Gail Moffitt 06/12/1967 Tracy Williams 06/28/1991

Carolyn Smith 06/07/1994 Jerri Willis 02/01/1988

10
 1.
TRIVIA
How many square miles are
there in Spartanburg County?

What year was

2. Spartanburg County formed?

3. What naval ship is named after

Spartanburg County?

4.
Spartanburg County is home
to how many international

5. businesses?

In what
present day
location was
over 200,000
men trained
for WWII?

What present day location was

6. Camp Wadsworth located where
men were trained for WWI?

1. 819 square miles • 2. 1785 • 3. USS Spartanburg County • 4. An estimated 110 • 5. Camp Croft • 6. Westgate Mall

11
 864-596-2591
Spartanburg, SC 29304
Post Office Box 3483
Clerk of Court, Spartanburg County
Hope Blackley
Contact Information:
Physical Address Child Support Enforcement: 864-596-2587
180 Magnolia Street
Spartanburg, SC 29306 Jury Coordinator: 864-596-3879
General Sessions Docket: 864-596-3882
Civil / General Sessions: 864-596-2591
Civil Jury Docket: 864-596-3967
Family Court: 864-596-2588
Civil Non-Jury Docket: 864-596-3996
I would like to hear from you!
For comments, please email me at clerksoffice@spartanburgcounty.org
*Notice: Not produced at tax payer’s expense.