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Moonshine Made By Ex-Officer

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Posted: 8:54 PM Oct 4, 2008
Last Updated: 1:27 PM Oct 6, 2008

38 comments

A | A | A

A former South Carolina prison officer has been charged with having moonshine and parts for a still.

Authorities say they found more than 14 gallons of illegal liquor and items that can be used for a distillery in a utility hed on property in Enoree owned by 61-year-old Earl Fletcher Kelly.

Kelly was arrested Tuesday and charged with possessing
nontax-paid liquor and distillery apparatus.

Prison spokesman Josh Gelinas says Kelly worked for the Corrections Department for 19 years, but resigned after authorities began investigating him.

Kelly was released on a $2,500 bond. A phone call to his home went immediately to an answering machine that said it could not record a message.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: Talon Location: NC on Oct 8, 2008 at 05:34 PM
I posted a similar comment to this on another "ex-officer" finger pointing article (after three submissions, WITN posted my comment a few hours before moving the article to archives). Here's my point. Why do we never see "ex-reporter charged" articles. Either reporters never do anything wrong, or their crimes are not reported to the public, or if they are, then their current or former professions are not posted in the headlines. WITN even posted an article on whether or not a GPD officer "violated policy" when an arrestee escaped, instead of concentrating on the great work he did in developing a robbery case out of a simple trespass arrest. It's not just WITN though, most media outlets have it in for law enforcement. WITN is especially bad about it. Maybe it's because they are affiliated with MSNBC.

Posted by: Cop Location: Greenville on Oct 6, 2008 at 09:28 PM
Hey curious, this happened in South Carolina. Idiot.

Posted by: Cat Location: Gboro on Oct 6, 2008 at 06:37 PM
MN--- They JUST changed the opener of the headline to "officer". Before today, it was "Cop".

Posted by: Ted Location: Greenville on Oct 6, 2008 at 04:50 PM
I know all too well the black eye worn by the NC Dept. of Correction. While the NCDOC has more than their fair share of bad apples (you can thank politicians for that), there are thousands more dedicated, professional Correctional Officers working hard to keep the boogie man out of your bedrooms at night. I am a Correctional Officer and former Police Officer, I can tell you that in the prison I deal with more felons daily than I did in a career as a Police Officer. We do our job and for this we constantly suffer the stings of public ridicule because of a few. You’ll never hear any positive news when it comes to the prison system, that just wouldn’t be good press.

Posted by: T Location: Washignton on Oct 6, 2008 at 03:55 PM
If this is all they could find they need to check into some of the other correctional officer still employed and well as the pd.

Posted by: Obama 08 4 Prez! on Oct 6, 2008 at 03:40 PM
We live in a world that you can't make your own liquor, you can't grow your own marijuana, can't sell your own body, can't kill yourself, and can't kill your kids .......BUT the government can SELL you liquor, prescribe you marijuana, have red tape places like the bunny ranch, give you the electric chair, and abortions...all those are legal. It's not what you do, it's how much can the government make off it!

Posted by: MN on Oct 6, 2008 at 03:38 PM
The title is not incorrect. Prison guards are referred to as correctional officers. I don't see anywhere in this story that said he was a cop.

Posted by: Concerned Location: Greenville, NC on Oct 6, 2008 at 03:26 PM
Maybe he wasn't making enough money to support his family

Posted by: deadfish Location: nc on Oct 6, 2008 at 03:18 PM
Police officer: You wear a badge: Have gun will travel...

Posted by: Curious 2 Location: somewhere on Oct 6, 2008 at 01:24 PM
Ok, Curious. Is there any profession anywhere that is "squeeky clean"?? Point is, this story isn't even about a cop! Are you a prison guard thats been cited, or arrested by a cop, or two, or something?

Posted by: curious Location: nowhere on Oct 6, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Sounds like alot of cops are maaaad! Maybe if your NC police depts were squeeky clean you wouldn't have to defend your selves this way.Reputations good or bad don't come from nowhere.

Posted by: Cop Location: Greenville on Oct 6, 2008 at 12:37 PM
I can't believe this story has been left up here this long, and with the obvious error that has been pointed out to you by so many people. A prison GUARD is not a cop. Many of them prefer to be a guard because it suits them, and many use being a guard as a doorway to going to the police academy, so they can be a cop, and getting on with a police department. Why do you refuse to change this headline. It is wrong.

Posted by: Cat Location: Gboro on Oct 6, 2008 at 10:35 AM
Amen Shawn! I can't believe they haven't corrected this yet! Everybody wants the story about a crooked cop.. Or x-cop.. Or was once contemplating being a cop.. As long as cop is in there somewhere!

Posted by: Anonymous Location: Here on Oct 6, 2008 at 08:27 AM
How do you get to Enoree?

Posted by: Anonymous Location: greenville on Oct 6, 2008 at 05:03 AM
i just surprised they are not taxing our poop

Posted by: Cactus Location: Strabane, NC on Oct 5, 2008 at 09:42 PM
Is this really a picture of the "distillery apparatus" found in the "cops" shed? (Looks more like a micro brewery apparatus.) If not he had a great set up.

Posted by: Sammy Location: New Burn NC on Oct 5, 2008 at 06:55 PM
In 1776 we revolted against Taxes and fought a war against Great Britian. Because we were unfairly taxed. 200 years later if Adams & Jefferson were alive again. They would probably say. " We fought a War of Independence against taxes. Now you Americans are taxed on Property, State, City, taxes plus on everthing you buy. Almost 25% of your pay check goes to taxes. Maybe we should have stayed English? " Were did we go wrong John and Thomas? O cheers Earl Kelly. I bet that Moonshine ends up at someones house party next week,but not yours.

Posted by: taxing ideas on Oct 5, 2008 at 05:28 PM
hey....maybe the government should be taxing the people for every spelling mistake they make....that would deplete the national debt in six months or less.

Posted by: police officer on Oct 5, 2008 at 05:08 PM
HEY WITN THANKS FOR GIVING POLICE A BAD NAME!!! A POLICE OFFICER IS A POLICE OFFICER AND NOT A PRISON GUARD, THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE, SO I SUGGEST YOU CHANGE THE TITLE TO PRISON GUARD GETS TO JOIN HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS FROM WITHIN!!!!

Posted by: Matthew Location: Chocowinity on Oct 5, 2008 at 01:33 PM
This guy probably got a kick out of being called a cop.

Posted by: idontknow Location: greenville on Oct 5, 2008 at 01:06 PM
The key word being non tax. That is why it is illegal, because the government was not getting there cut. As long as the government is receiving tax off of it it is completely legal hince the ABC regulated stores. Legalized government mofia. Same thing with property taxes, why should we pay property taxes on something we own not to mention we paided sales tax when we purchased it. Here again an example of legalized government mofia. Pay up or we seize your property and take you to jail.

Posted by: WOLFGANG Location: CHOCOWINITY on Oct 5, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Come on how much tax $$$$$ is the great state of South Carolina going to lose on 14 gallons of good ole American Corn Whiskey? Besides that Kelly he is Irish the Irish make the best Whiskey in the world. They call it the water of life. I know I have been to Ireland. It's a great Whiskey country. I see some people on my street pick up Tobacco that falls off the Tabacco trucks on our street. They dry it cut it and stuff it in there Corn Cob Pipes and smoke it. I guess they are guilty of smoking non tax paid tobacco. O well IRS sorry? I am suprised the Government has not found a way to tax us for breathing air. Breathing air its free we have to tax it!!! Someone has to pay for this free air now!!! Have a blessed day you all.

Posted by: ??? Location: NC on Oct 5, 2008 at 11:33 AM
I may be wrong. I am not a 100% sure, but I thought that if you are making it for personal use it was not illegal unless you sell it.The story doesnt say anything about any of it being sold.If thats the case,some people resell taxpaid liquor illegally. Are you now going to be at risk for having taxpaid liquor just because someone thinks you may sell it?

Posted by: laughing cow on Oct 5, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Hey....he learned something on the job....the best moonshine is made behind prison walls. He is self supporting, supplying a high demand product to the people and can continue his business whether in front of or behind bars. Isn't this what America is all about?

Posted by: Joseph Location: kinston on Oct 5, 2008 at 10:34 AM
I can't believe anything witn report's.I don't even trust the DOG-HERTY weather report.

Posted by: A-nom Location: near you on Oct 5, 2008 at 10:08 AM
the dept of corrections uses a lot of blue cleaning fluid made by prisoners to clean up in prisons. the fluid is dumped out at various prisons then replaced with either gin or vodka and the right amount of food coloring added then sold as 1 oz shot's to inmates.good scheme right?

Posted by: The Po Po Location: ENC on Oct 5, 2008 at 08:45 AM
You need to revise this. A prison guard is NOT a cop ! Issue a correction ! Leave it to the media to smear a cop's name ! I bet you probably won't even post this one.

Posted by: Shawn Location: Greenville on Oct 5, 2008 at 08:07 AM
WITN and other news agencys get excited when they can add the words 'law enforcement' or 'cop' in a headline. Like the Hayden case, they keep putting 'Ex-Police Chief' in all of the headlines involving him. Put his name in the headline and do not involve all other law enforcement officers with his stupidity. I wonder if someone that worked for WITN ten years ago gets charged with an offense, will the headline read, "Former WITN employee charged with armed robbery". I think not. Get your story straight WITN and quit trying to hype the story by making all police officers a target by using these terms in all of your stories.

Posted by: Cat Location: Gboro on Oct 5, 2008 at 07:31 AM
I'm glad everybody else said it too.. DOC officers are not cops, but it made for a good head-line opener, didn't it? Jeez. LOL to Timmys comment!

Posted by: Keith Location: Greenville on Oct 5, 2008 at 04:05 AM
WITN get your facts straight. A former Correction is not an ex-cop.

Posted by: Charles moore Location: lawyer-greenville on Oct 5, 2008 at 02:31 AM
Cmon, witn, you show a pic of distillery when falsifying a report on a cop. It was a dog'on prison guard who made the moonshine. Im sick of you guys accusing cops of crimes when they are clearly not involved. I am thankfull for the cops who serve and protect us in this wacko societry we live in.

Posted by: kristin Location: ecu on Oct 5, 2008 at 02:27 AM
Hes not a cop, whats wrong with you witn.get your story right you idiots.

Posted by: Josh Location: Greenville on Oct 5, 2008 at 02:25 AM
One, he is not an ex-cop, never was a cop, he was a guard. WITN can you ever get your story correct without trying to get unwarranted attention by using cop as an attention getter. gee wizzz. I support the cops of this great nation as they saved my life one day as i was getting beat up, the cops pounced on the thug that was trying to beat me up and rob me. thanks to all cops who serve and protect this evil society.

Posted by: Jim Location: NC on Oct 5, 2008 at 12:07 AM
Prison guards are not even remotely close to being "COPS" what an insult.

Posted by: . on Oct 4, 2008 at 10:20 PM
since when is a prison guard a COP?

Posted by: mtrl Location: bertie on Oct 4, 2008 at 10:05 PM
funny the headline says ex-cop but the story is on a ex-prison guard. you disappoint me WITN.

Posted by: john Location: north carolina on Oct 4, 2008 at 09:47 PM
go earl go!you just got caught!i think all your fellow employee 's thru out the nation!should be investigated and drug tested bi-annually!but you no the old saying bout the golden rule? well the one's with the gold rule!! good luck, Earl!!

Posted by: ozone Location: belhaven on Oct 4, 2008 at 09:39 PM
cheeeezzzzyyyyyyyy

Posted by: voter Location: nc on Oct 4, 2008 at 09:34 PM
WOW,,,the world is now a safer place. if only the cops could get all those feloneous litterbugs put away,,the nation would be secure at last.

Posted by: timmy Location: BOCO on Oct 4, 2008 at 09:05 PM
Big deal....i wish i had some.

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