MULTIPLE HOMICIDES UP: DRUGS, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BLAMED

Greenville County has experienced an increase in the number of
multiple homicides this year, and authorities say drugs and domestic
violence are fueling the problem. One case - the murder of three
people at the Blue Ridge Savings Bank in Greer - remains unsolved. But
in the other five, authorities say the murders stemmed from either
drugs or domestic violence.

Drugs, poverty and robberies are factors when the number of
multiple-victim murders increase, said Harold Rose, a University of
Wisconsin professor.

"They tend to go hand in hand," Rose said. "It's difficult to say if
something is drug-related because drug cases are complex even if they
are a factor."

In past years, domestic disputes have been the cause of most
Greenville murders involving more than one person, Greenville County
Sheriff Steve Loftis said.

Since 1998, the most in one year was three multiple victim slayings in
2001, records show.

The Greenville County Sheriff's Office has investigated four multiple
slayings this year, including two men killed in a home near Cherrydale
last week.

In addition, a triple murder took place in Greer at the Blue Ridge
Savings Bank in May, although it is unclear what was behind that
incident. In Fountain Inn, police investigated a double homicide in
August they do not believe was drug-related.

Statewide, the number of multiple slayings has increased from nine in
2000 to 14 last year, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.

Loftis said overall, drugs play a part in most violent crimes in
Greenville County. That includes murders when a drug deal has gone
bad, robberies to get drug money or people killing while under the
influence of drugs, he said.

But even with the rise in multiple victims, Greenville County has not
experienced a large increase in the total number of killings, state
and county records show. There have been about 30 homicides annually
since 1998. So far this year, 30 people have been murdered in
Greenville County.

At the same time, the number of arrests related to drug use has pushed
past 5,500, according to the Office of National Drug Policy.
Statewide, it has risen from 19,744 in 1995 to 26,341 in 1999.

Loftis said his department will continue to make drug enforcement a
priority.

But the worst may be ahead, said Kat Rice, executive director of the
Greenville County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Nearly 18
percent of teens in the county report using drugs, a figure that is
above the national average.

In comparison, about 10 percent of adults in Greenville County
regularly use drugs or alcohol, which is slightly lower than the
national average, Rice said.

The commission is seeking a grant to build a youth residential
facility. Rice said budget cuts the past few years have narrowed
treatment options. The state has cut funding to her agency by $250,000
over the last two years, she said.

The rise is coming at a time when the cuts are coming from the state,
she said. She believes more treatment programs would decrease the need
for more jails.