First Circuit Solicitor says ankle monitor GPS company failed to monitor 144 SC defendants

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe issued a statement Friday saying that a GPS ankle monitor company failed to monitor 144 defendants across South Carolina.

Pascoe said that local company Divine Providence GPS is currently involved in a contract dispute with Nationwide GPS Monitoring, which supplies GPS monitoring equipment and software to Divine Providence.

As a result, Nationwide cut off its contract with Divine Providence on Jan. 8. Since then, Divine Providence did not properly monitor 144 defendants across the state including, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties.

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Additional investigation showed that Divine Providence was not an approved GPS monitoring company as required by South Carolina law and was therefore operating illegally.

State law requires that all of these companies be regulated and routinely monitored by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Pascoe said his office “quickly moved” to hold Divine Providence owner Denaro Ponds in contempt of court and notified the other state Solicitor Offices. He said Ponds is currently being held in a local detention center.

He also requested that SLED open an investigation into a potential obstruction of justice by Ponds.

Additional hearings on this matter are scheduled for Feb. 9 in Dorchester County.

Pascoe said his office made this information public to ensure victims, attorneys, prosecutors, defendants and bond courts were fully informed.

“Our office will do whatever it takes to protect victims and to ensure justice in our communities. When systems designed to safeguard the public fail, we will act swiftly and decisively to hold those responsible accountable. As 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson has stated for years, ‘Electronic monitoring as a condition of bond has turned into nothing more than a sham,’” he said in a statement.

He also said in his statement that his office is considering charging bondsmen for “their failure to protect the community.”

According to Pascoe, bondsmen are “strictly liable for violations of bond that are not reported to the courts or to the Solicitor’s office.”

He said that his office would have more information following Monday’s hearings.

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