COMPTROLLER GENERAL’S SON SEEKS “PRE-TRIAL INTERVENTION”
By FITSNEWS || S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom‘s son wants a recent criminal domestic violence (CDV) arrest expunged from his record – and is reportedly seeking access to a pre-trial intervention (PTI) program in an effort to make the charge disappear.
Victim advocates familiar with the case tell us Brad Eckstrom – who was accused of assaulting his pregnant ex-fiancee earlier this month – is applying for such a program in order to avoid a conviction and clear the charge from his permanent record.
We’re also the PTI option is being pushed by Eckstrom’s father – who despite his incompetence in office and disastrous personal life is nonetheless a shoo-in to win another term as the state’s top accountant this November.
Anyway, PTI is a program which endeavors to keep first-time, non-violent offenders from clogging up the state’s court dockets – although it hasn’t always been available to alleged CDV perpetrators (given that the “V” in CDV stands for violence).
Also of interest? The program is not uniformly administered across the state’s sixteen judicial circuits – which strikes us as a serious equal protection issue.
“It’s a mess,” one defense attorney familiar with the system told us. “Depending on the jurisdiction there’s either no PTI or PTI based on this, that or the other – a judge, a victim, a prosecutor signing onto it. And yeah your odds of getting it – especially on a CDV charge – go up depending on who you know.”
Who you know …
Sounds like a formula for good old fashioned South Carolina corruption if you ask us …
Brad Eckstrom allegedly punched, kicked and grabbed his 29-year-old former fiancee Blair Pettrey by the hair, dragging her across his mother’s home during the October 10 incident. Pettrey – who suffered multiple bruises – was nine weeks pregnant with Brad Eckstrom’s child at the time of the alleged assault.
We’ve yet to get any direct comment from either side of the drama, but sources familiar with the complaint say the dust-up originated with Kelly Payne – a 2010 “Republican” candidate for S.C. Superintendent of Education who has been Richard Eckstrom’s on-again, off-again lover for the last four years (pre-dating his ex-wife, Peggy Eckstrom, who divorced him in 2011).
“She broke up the wedding basically,” a source said of Payne’s intervention in the scheduled October 4 wedding between Pettrey and Brad Eckstrom.
Drama in the Eckstrom family is nothing new.
The star-crossed affair between Richard Eckstrom and Kelly Payne has produced courtroom battles, police reports, allegations of sexually transmitted diseases, wedding rings for sale on Craigslist as well as campaign finance abuse charges related to Eckstrom paying for Payne’s travel to the 2012 Republican National Convention.
Frankly we think the elder Eckstrom should be in a psych ward – not a statewide office. But then again no one ever lost a race by overestimating the intelligence of the South Carolina electorate.
As for the Comptroller’s 38-year-old son, the jury is still out on him. Well … assuming a jury ever hears his case.
Which leads us to our point: There should be only one standard for prosecuting (or not prosecuting) CDV cases in the Palmetto State. In other words the law in one county should be the law in every other county – with the same standards applied evenly. Anything short of such uniformity – whatever the standard is – represents a violation of equal protection.
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40 comments
That idiot son of R. Eckstrom will probably get his way too. If I were judge, I’d sentence him to be the caboose end of a human centipede on Ex-Lax.
They want to play politics with his son’s violent behavior, there will be 10s of thousands of women and men coming out to bulldoze the Eckstrom’s and the SC court system. Dragging around a women by the hair? And pregnant at that????? HIs son is a demon, pure and simple!
They’re both fucked up men ( if yu want to call them that) but daddy prefers to abuse them mentally.
‘Justice’ is expensive.’
These conservative types sure love beating on women. When they’re not molesting their own children.
Get out of here with that crock of psychotic bullshit. Domestic violence knows no gender, and certainly no political party.
In SC it clearly does. Beating women and abusing children is almost a pastime for conservative men there. Didn’t the founder of this blog plead guilty to CDV? I believe the real psychotics are you and the people you defend.
You need to be committed to MUSC’s institute of psychiatry.
With the details of what he did, HELL NO! He’s a freaking MONSTER! …. He thinks because of who is daddy is, he should be treated special. Any judge granting expungement would be slitting their own throat. The domestic violence groups will circle like sharks, have his/her head and then some.
He’s clearly a psychotic, right?
Sounds like the Palins moved to South Carolina. Yee Haw.
You betcha baby!!!!! Sarah hanging with Jenny S – fighting down in Lexington.
Tomorrow’s breaking news: Brad Eckstrom Doesn’t Want to Go To Jail
Based on the facts of his CDV case, he certainly seems to have a character that would commit murder.
Its just time to reduce Eckstrom to the fucked up puissant that he really is. Drain him of all money, etc.
Puissant means strong or powerful. Eckstorm is a pissant.
I thought PTI was for 19 year old Co-eds that got wasted at the Carolina Cup and needed a free pass.
Oh, hell, if our elected solicitors can cut deals for PTI for child molesters – in the case I personally have knowledge of the adolescent step-daughter was a credible witness and the perpetrator’s son witnessed the act and was credible also – then, why not for CDV?
It does help in the cutting of the deal if the defense attorney is the partner of the lawyer legislator whose daughter was the assistant solicitor involved.
I have heard of another case in another circuit where that perp perped again after the PTI. I don’t know if that charge stuck.
Crap like this is why solicitors should not be elected.
The South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (SCCADVASA) is a statewide coalition made up of the 23 domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy organizations in South Carolina.
I want my record for the ticket for not having a life jacket in the Cooper River expunged too, but that’s ain’t gonna happen either.
Wait…in SC I can have my record expunged for beating my wife..just not ever for not having enough life jackets.
Got it..makes sense.
Isn’t one DUI a lifetime offense, too?
SECTION 17-22-50. Persons not to be considered for intervention. Subsection (2)(b) driving under the influence or driving with an unlawful alcohol concentration.
If he pulls this one off, Brad Eckstrom should call Ray Rice and offer him some “Pro Tips”…
Let’s just expunge the Eckstroms, the Haleys, the Harrells, The Whites, the Peelers, the Sanfords,the leathermans.
Excellent idea. We shall declare war on corruption.
SECTION 17-22-50(A)(c). Persons not to be considered for intervention. A person must not be considered for intervention if a traffic-related offense which is punishable only by fine or loss of points;
Eckstrom allegedly punched, KICKED and grabbed his 29-year-old former fiancee Blair Pettrey by the hair, dragging her across his mother’s home during the October 10 incident. Pettrey – who suffered multiple bruises – was nine weeks pregnant with Brad Eckstrom’s child at the time of the alleged assault, sources familiar with the drama tell FITS.
Read more at https://www.fitsnews.com/2014/10/20/sc-comptroller-general-bails-son-jail-cdv/#yPhaD6fP5ug2yjTT.99
You should see Brad E’s photos on his Fakebook page. One shows him holding up letters in a Scrabble word game tray that spells “ANGRY” … https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=629165957110495&set=a.158336660860096.34816.100000512894167&type=1&theater
Awesome catch! My favorite piece of that is his quote to “Kat.”
“I’ll be as angry as I wanna.”
I’m bettin’ this gets pulled down shortly (not that it hasn’t been screen grabbed and code-saved left and right, already).
I copied the photo. Someone needs to send it out to the major media.
PTI is a bit of a mess, but it’s really more a function of the fact that Solicitors are (by design) the most powerful figure in the prosecution game. If you’re a shady character residing in the Xth Circuit and find out you can buy only one official- a deputy, the Sheriff, a Circuit Court judge, or the Solicitor, take my advice and purchase yourself a Solicitor. It is he or she who decides (assuming you’re not quite shady enough to draw the attention of the feds) whether or not you go to prison. Luckily enough for us, though, this isn’t a decision we usually have to make- there’s usually more than one official for sale.
Anyway, the guiding language in the State Code (§17-22-10) is pretty clear, but has all of the requisite loopholes and outs that allow Solicitors to wiggle around and still do pretty much do what they want. Such is life.
Or in the alternative, find a way to get to Jean Toal who controls and owns all solicitors….It’s been done before. One call, that’s all…..
True enough!
I think they should just suspend him for 2 games.
Does he play football at Clemson?
CDV RAP
“Yo….whomped Shawty upside da head..
Drug Shawty ’round by da dreads.
Now Shawty ‘n I’m sittin’ in tha can
She done bus my head wid a fryin’ pan…”
Amazing how the Rs are for “law and order” unless they are personally involved and then it is “call in the chips” time.
And we trust this scum to be the State’s chief accountant? This republican is voting against him.
In the internet age, there is no such thing as EXPUNGING your record.
I do believe the spousal abuse crowd will raise holy hell against the POS off spring of the nut job politician.