Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams nodded his head and admitted, "This area is a high-crime area."

This statement by Williams was in response to a question asked by a resident of the Cannon Bridge Road community at a crime awareness meeting Tuesday at the area Boys and Girls Club. More than 60 residents were in attendance.

It was not the first community meeting at the Boys and Girls Club, and it will not be the last.

Williams, various county council members and residents of the community shared their concerns about changes in the area, gangs, break-ins and trespassing. They will meet again to discuss plans for addressing the problems.

"We have created our problems, now we must work our problems out," Williams said.

Williams said he would like to have more officers, but more officers, "can't stop that child not living at home, that child not going to church and that child whose parents will not discipline him in the home until he is in the street."

Williams shared the story of a woman who said she would do everything she could to get him out of office. Williams said he arrested the woman's 19-year-old son a few weeks prior and confiscated $35,000 and drugs. He said the woman called demanding her son's money back.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that is what we are dealing with, believe it or not. Our problems have caught up with us," he said.

Williams said the key to success in the Cannon Bridge Road community will be to continue the community meetings and to focus on how to improve each area of need on the street.

"If we have to get law enforcement in this community to walk up and down the street with fully-armed machine guns to take back our streets, we will do it," Williams said.

Williams said Orangeburg County is not the only place in chaos, and said that Orangeburg County is probably one of the safest counties in South Carolina.

He admitted, "Right now it does not appear that way, and I understand that."

A 15-year-old was shot across the street from the Boys and Girls Club on Oct. 12.

On Oct. 25, two residents of Cannon Bridge Road pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine and another resident pleaded guilty to assault and grand larceny.

Williams was persistent in stating changes have to be made by all parties involved -- the sheriff's department, the community and county officials.

He said there are areas in Orangeburg County that do not have Cannon Bridge Road's problems because the residents don't allow it.

"I got people in those areas who will call the police quicker than anything," Williams said. "That is what we have to do. If you've got to call the police on your neighbor's child, you have got to call them."

To view video from the community meeting, visit our video gallery or our featured video on our home page.

T&D Online News Editor Brian Troutman can be reached at btroutman@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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