Judge who gave bond to teen after Columbia shooting won’t be reappointed, senator says
The magistrate who granted bond to a teenager arrested after the mass shooting at Meadowlake Park last month won’t be tapped for another four-year term.
South Carolina state senators choose magistrate judges for their counties, and state Sen. John Scott, D-Richland, said he will not reappoint Judge LaTonya Derrick, a Richland County Central Court magistrate.
Derrick, along with other Richland County judges, have been in carryover status since April 30, Scott said.
Ty’Quan Kelly, an 18-year-old, was one of two teens arrested following the early-morning shooting at an unofficial post-prom party on April 29. Kelly was charged with possession of a handgun after deputies saw a gun and magazine being tossed from the window of the car he was riding in following the shooting. He was also charged with possession of marijuana.
Although it was his third arrest on gun-related charges since March 1, he was issued a $10,000 bond by Derrick.
That bond was rescinded earlier this week by Circuit Court Judge Robert Hood, and Kelly was ordered into custody.
“I find that you are a danger to the community,” Hood told Kelly on Wednesday.
Scott said he looked at this bond and other bonds issued by Derrick in making his decision. Given the magnitude of the shooting, Scott said it was in the best interest of the county and the judge.
He said that because Kelly had a history of arrests, it was important to consider his repeated offenses, and whether he had a gun problem or gang affiliations.
“Until those questions are answered, you should wait to set your bond,” Scott said.
Scott emphasized that Derrick was not terminated, just not reappointed.
Kelly’s role in the Meadowlake shooting remains unclear. On Wednesday, his attorney, Jessica Sturgill, said that he had nothing to do with it. However, revoking the bond hinged on the fact that the teen had already been arrested and released on bond twice in less than three months.
On March 1, Kelly was charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol and possession of a narcotic with intention to distribute. He received a $2,500.
A month and a half later, Kelly was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a stolen pistol and possession of a machine gun or a sawed-off shotgun or rifle on April 16 after a 911 caller said that he had blocked the doorway of her room and put a gun against her head. For this, bond was set at $50,000.
Kelly is now held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
Two other teens were arrested in connection to the shooting, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department announced Wednesday. Their names have not yet been released because they are 16.
