Attorney General Alan Wilson announces new Violent Crimes Case Reduction Unit gets its first trial conviction

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s new Violent Crimes Case Reduction Unit (VCCRU) got its first in-trial conviction last week after only six months in court and the adoption of over 180 violent crime cases. The team has closed or issued bench warrants in over 10% of the cases. 

On Thursday, June 26^th, a jury in Sumter convicted Jason Barnes, 43, of Sumter, of shooting and killing Richard “Ricky” Preusser, 51. Barnes was staying in a home owned by Preusser, which is where the murder occurred on August 19, 2022. Barnes had brought the revolver he used in the murder from the West Coast just two weeks earlier. The mobile phone found by a canine officer in the woods when Barnes was located was processed by the Sumter County Police Department. This phone contained information that gave insight into the defendant’s thoughts and concerns, especially in retrieving the murder weapon before it could be located by law enforcement.

Judge Ferrell Cothran sentenced Barnes to 38 years in prison for the murder and five years for the weapons charge. The sentences will run concurrently.

Attorney General Wilson formed the VCCRU last year to assist solicitors’ offices that have significant backlogs of violent crimes to prosecute.

“These first pleas and trials are the beginning of what will be many cases our Violent Crimes Case Reduction Unit will close to bring justice to crime victims in South Carolina,” Attorney General Wilson said.

The case was investigated by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office and Special Investigators Rebecca Sessions and Cameron Warren of the Attorney General’s Office.

VCCRU prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General Angela Tanner, was the primary attorney on the case, and VCCRU Assistant Attorney General Chris Scalzo assisted her in the courtroom. A special thank you to the VCCRU team, paralegals Glenda Amick and Margaret Osburn, law clerk Emily Culbreath, victim advocate Glynna Fogle, Assistant Attorney General Monty Bell, and Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General Heather S. Weiss for the teamwork on this trial and throughout the case.