Story Archive

Borrow Some Brains

Walt Wilkins, the prosecutor for Greenville and Pickens counties in South Carolina, reported to the Greenville County sheriff that he was receiving death threats. The sheriff offered to assign a deputy to protect him, but Wilkins declined, saying he’d just carry a gun. Wilkins, who makes $141,354 a year, didn’t want the “expense” of a high-quality firearm, so he “borrowed” one by signing it out from the sheriff’s evidence room. A month later, it was stolen from his unlocked car. Wilkins admitted that a prosecutor signing out evidence is “a law school basic” bad idea; the gun was evidence in a case, and the related charges had to be dropped since the “chain of evidence” was broken. The situation occurred 5 years ago, but came to light just days before Wilkins was re-elected last week. “Had I known we had a pending charge on this gun,” Wilkins said, “I probably wouldn’t have taken it.” (RC/Greenville News) ...Had voters known he was such an obliviot, they probably wouldn’t have voted for him.