Assistant principal released on $100,000 bond after sexual relationship with student
An assistant principle in Goose Creek, South Carolina was released on a $100,000 bond after he was charged with having sexual relationship with a student, The State reported.
Paul Jette Herman, the 36-year-old assistant principal of Goose Creek High School, was arrested Tuesday and charged with sexual battery with a student without force or coercion.
The girl’s mother discovered the relationship when she saw messages on her daughter’s phone, and her daughter told her about the relationship last weekend. Police said based on the text messages, the relationship had been going on since December.
Herman was placed on administrative leave by the Berkeley County School District.
— Madeleine Collins, Assistant News Editor
Health Care company hacked, member information stolen
The personal information of former and current participants of a state health plan may have been stolen after the company was hacked, The State reported.
Members of Blue Choice Health Plan HMO, a BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina that offers health plans to state employees, are said to be affected.
Anthem, a company that helps South Carolina's BlueCross process health care claims, was targeted by the hackers, who took the members' names, birthdays, Social Security numbers, addresses, email addresses and employment information.
The data breach affected BlueCross members in other states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Affected customers will receive letters notifying them, and Anthem said the incident is still under investigation.
— Madeleine Collins, Assistant News Editor
Over $1 million embezzled from charter school
A federal trial over embezzled funds began on Wednesday, The State reported.
Benita Dinkins-Robinson, the director of a Lee County charter school, faces two counts of embezzlement, totaling upward of $1 million of federal funds.
She siphoned the money into her own account through four different shell companies.
The charter school qualified for Title I funding and received money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Education for food and education purposes.
Dinkins-Robinson was supposed to be using the money toward meals for the students, education and their general benefit.
Dinkins-Robinson used the money to pay for vacations, shopping sprees and other purchases.
— Madeleine Collins, Assistant News Editor