Antonio Rivers

9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson likes to refer to Charleston Thug Life as an “internet tabloid”. She claims we don’t report facts, particularly when it comes to her ability to do her job. Let’s take a look at the case of Antonio Jerome Rivers to see if her allegation holds up. Rivers’ was brought up tangentially in an article by Brenda Rindge of the P&C when she mentioned a 2007 shoot-out involving Omar Brown, a Charleston police officer, former candidate (not seriously) for Mayor of Charleston and current candidate for Berkeley County sheriff.

Let us fill in the blanks for you. In 2007 Brown was in a convenience store at Dorchester Road and I-26 known as the “El Cheapo”. Antonio Jerome Rivers was at the register when Brown reached near him to pick up the items Brown had purchased. This is apparently a serious faux pas and breach of hood etiquette to which Rivers took exception. The two exchanged words, then Brown left the store and got in his car. Rivers did his bantyroosterhoodrat walk to his vehicle and retrieved a firearm. He approached Brown’s car, trying to sneak up with the gun in his right hand. Brown saw him, drew his own weapon, exited the car and a very public shootout ensued. Brown was shot in the thigh, Rivers received multiple lead injections. Both left the scene and headed to local hospitals. You can watch the video of the encounter here.

Three years after the shooting Rivers plead guilty to a charge of Assault & Battery With Intent to Kill and the Felon’s Friend actually sentenced him to 12 years in prison. As you can see from his prison record, he hasn’t exactly been a model inmate. Good news, though. Rivers is due to be released in February 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right about now you might be commending the 9th Circuit Solicitor for managing to get Rivers put away for 12 years, 3 of which had already been served awaiting trial. As usual, the devil is in the details. Let’s take a more complete look at Antonio Jerome Rivers’ complete experience with the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

 

 

2002 Charges:

PWID Crack - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor in April of 2008. ??

PWID Crack Near a School - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

Possession of Crack - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2003 Charges:

Possession of Crack - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor with the notation, “case lacks merit”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2004 Charges:

Failure to Stop for Blue Lights - Dismissed at preliminary hearing because the officer did not show up to testify.

Kidnapping - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

Armed Robbery - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime - Reduced to Unlawful Carrying of a Pistol by the 9th Circuit Solicitor. Sentenced by Judge Roger Couch to a YOA term not to exceed 1 year suspended in favor of 90 days shock incarceration.

Possession of a Stolen Vehicle - Plead guilty. Sentenced to a YOA term not to exceed 6 years, concurrent with the shock incarceration sentence above.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also included in the plea agreement with the 2004 charges were some charges from 2006.

2006 Charges:

2nd Offense Possession of Marijuana - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor with the notation, “insufficient evidence”.

Possession of Crack - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor, “insufficient evidence”.

Trafficking Cocaine - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor, “insufficient evidence”.

Unlawful Possession of a Pistol - Dismissed at preliminary hearing, “No probable cause”.

Possession of a Stolen Vehicle - Plead guilty. Sentenced to the same YOA term not to exceed 6 years and 90 days shock incarceration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember the plea deal which sent Rivers to prison for the remainder of his 12 year sentence in 2010? Let’s see what charges the 9th Circuit Solicitor dismissed in exchange for a guilty plea to Assault & Battery With Intent to Kill for shooting off-duty police officer Omar Brown.

Failure to Stop for Blue Light - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

Possession of Ecstasy - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

Unlawful Carrying of a Pistol - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

PWID Cocaine Near a School - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

PWID Crack - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

Possession of a Stolen Vehicle - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

Hit & Run Property Damage - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime - Dismissed by the 9th Circuit Solicitor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, that’s eight (8) serious charges dismissed in order to get a guilty plea to one charge of ABWIK in a slam-dunk, open and shut case, with video evidence of the attempted murder of an off-duty police officer. If Judge Thomas “Felon’s Friend” Hughston wasn’t so interested in making Rivers feel good when he left court the judge could have shut down that ridiculous plea deal or actually given Rivers an appropriate sentence. As usual in the 9th Circuit, that did not happen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget Rivers violated his YOA probation when he tried to kill Omar Brown. No action was ever taken on that probation violation, either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scarlett Wilson can bitch and moan about “internet tabloids” all she wants, but the facts presented above, and in hundreds of other articles here at CTL, simply don’t lie. We will be the first to tell you Wilson has had some successes as 9th Circuit Solicitor, but her failures far outweigh the wins. We have invited her from day one to participate in this process and provide the “facts” she claims are missing. Wilson would rather complain to her friends on Facebook than face the voters reading these pages. That is only a good campaign strategy if no one plans to run against her in 2016. We shall see.