TR News Review
Missing Woman Found Dead In Backyard
Greenville County deputies were searching for a missing woman in the Ebenezer community of Old White Horse Road in northwestern Travelers Rest on Friday and found her body in her backyard near the intersections of Ebenezer Church Road, West Burns Road and Old White Horse.
The sheriff's office had notified the news media of the disappearance of Evelyn Loaiza-Alverez, 38, and stated she had not been seen since April 12th on Old White Horse Road.
The coroner's office said there is no evidence of foul play however the investigation is continuing. The cause of death has not been released. Authorities said Alverez had been dead for about a week.
SLED Charges Former TRPD Officer With Criminal Sexual Conduct
And Misconduct In Office
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced on Thursday they charged former Travelers Rest Police officer Gerard James Hildebrandt, 42, of Honea Path with Criminal Sexual Conduct Third Degree and Misconduct in Office. The charges come from an incident in July, 2022 on the grounds of Travelers Rest High School. Hildebrandt was terminated from the police department after the incident was reported to Travelers Rest police. The local police department turned the investigation over to SLED.
According to SLED arrest warrants, on July 3, 2022 Hildebrandt used force to accomplish sexual battery on the victim. "Hildebrandt, while on duty as a police officer, used aggravated force in that he took the victim to an isolated area, where he forcefully removed the victim's shorts" and performed a sex acts on her. The warrant states, "the beliefs are based upon SLED's body camera footage, physical evidence, victim/witness statements and the SLED investigation."
The victim, according to the school district, was not a student or employed at Travelers Rest High School.
TRPD Obtains Two Tesla Electric Patrol Cars
WSPA News7 did a story about TRPD's two electric patrol cars last week. "What we decided to do here is a pilot program for electric patrol cars," Travelers Rest police chief Ben Ford told WSPA. Ford said the two Tesla vehicles that they are trying out. "We really want to try to do our part to see if we can save money for the city."
The police department has had the vehicles for almost a year but were not road ready until just recently. One feature on the cars is an early warning stop detection system.
TR Vet Saves German Shepherd From Choking
Dr. Margaret Hunt, a veterinarian at Travelers Rest Animal Hospital was able to save a German Shepherd from choking on a large toy that had gotten lodged in his esophagus.
Hunt used a swift maneuver by laying the dog on his back and massaged his throat, an external extraction technique and dislodged the toy. The maneuver was videoed, and the video went viral on social media.
North Main Street Was Closed Due To Gas Leak
North Main Street was closed last Monday due to a natural gas leak. The four laned Highway 276 was shut down just north of Travelers Rest High School. Traffic was rerouted to Williams Road and Henderson Drive while repairs were made at the entrance to a housing development.