Solicitor Bob Ariail won't run for re-election

His term ends in January 2011.

JANUARY 1, 2010 3:18 p.m. (0)

Thirteenth Solicitor Bob Ariail announced Monday he will not seek re-election.

Ariail, who has been solicitor since 1997, has come under fire for his handling of the John Ludwig case, most recently for accepting a guilty plea for reckless homicide without getting a guarantee the former businessman would serve prison time.

Ludwig, who drove his Maserati through a Greenville County house, killing the homeowner as he watched television, was sentenced to three years probation and 500 hours community service.  Continue reading...

 

Ludwig won't get jail time in burglary case

Judge orders concurrent probation, upholds previous sentence  

JANUARY 8, 2010 11:16 a.m. (2)

John Ludwig Jr.’s controversial probationary sentence for plowing his speeding, out-of-control Maserati through a house and killing the homeowner who was inside watching television will stand, a circuit judge ruled Friday.

Retired Circuit Court Judge James C. Williams Jr. filed an order Friday morning reaffirming the sentence which shocked 13th Circuit Solicitor Bob Ariail, outraged the community and had some in the legal community talking about a two-tired justice system.

The sentence impacted an unrelated burglary case against Ludwig.  Continue reading...

 

Ludwig lawyer may request venue change

Attorney says attitudes about his client could prevent fair trial

JANUARY 15, 2010 8:40 a.m. (0)

The lawyer representing John Ludwig Jr. on a criminal domestic violence charge pending in Greenville Municipal Court said he may be forced to ask for a change of venue.

Bruce Byrholdt, an Anderson attorney, said it would be the first time he’s done so in a municipal court case.

“Based on what I’ve seen today, I’ll probably be forced to file a motion for a change of venue,” Byrholdt said outside of Courtroom 8 at the Greenville County Courthouse after his client received probation after pleading guilty to an assault charge.  Continue reading...

 

Ludwig gets suspended sentence

Jury says guilty of criminal domestic violence, first offense

FEBRUARY 25, 2010 5:44 p.m. (1)

John Ludwig Jr., the Greenville businessman who avoided jail time for plowing his Maserati through a house and killing the homeowner as he watched television, avoided jail again on Thursday.

A 4-woman, 2-man Greenville Municipal Court jury found Ludwig guilty of criminal domestic violence first offense for hitting his then-estranged wife in February 2009, two months before the fatal wreck.  Continue reading...

 

Ludwig in trouble again

On probation, Greenville businessman accused of spitting at a man in a downtown Greenville restaurant

AUGUST 1, 2010 12:53 p.m. (1)

John Ludwig Jr., the Greenville businessman who avoided jail time for plowing his Maserati through a house and killing the homeowner as he watched television, faces more legal trouble.

Ludwig, of 878 Club House Dr., Sunset, was arrested Sunday, his 38th birthday, and charged with third degree assault and battery, according to a warrant.

Ludwig surrendered to Greenville police officers and was taken to the Greenville County Detention Center. He was released on a personal recognizance bond and ordered to stay away from the victim. Officials would not identify the victim, who was believed to be someone Ludwig knew through business.  Continue reading...

 

Ludwig probation supervision increased to 'intensive'

AUGUST 2, 2010 11:53 a.m. (4)

State probation officials will wait for the outcome of the latest criminal charge filed against John Ludwig Jr. to decide whether to ask a judge to revoke his probation.

Ludwig avoided jail time when a judge suspended his five-year prison sentence to three years probation after the Greenville businessman pleaded guilty to reckless homicide for plowing his Maserati through a house and killing the homeowner as he watched television.  Continue reading...

 

Ludwig's legal problems continue

Bank names Ludwig in two foreclosure actions

AUGUST 5, 2010 2:55 p.m. (2)

John Ludwig Jr.’s legal problems are growing.

He’s has been named in two foreclosure actions and one collection lawsuit.  Continue reading...

 

Ludwig asks for jury trial

Greenville businessman faces third-degree assault and battery charge

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010 10:31 a.m. (0)

John Ludwig Jr. has asked for a jury trial on a third-degree assault and battery charge stemming from a confrontation in a downtown restaurant in July.

Ludwig, the Greenville businessman who avoided jail time when a judge suspended his five-year prison sentence to three years probation after he pleaded guilty to reckless homicide for driving his Maserati through a house and killing the homeowner as he watched television, was scheduled to appear in Greenville Municipal Court on Wednesday.

But Ludwig filed paperwork requesting a jury trial, which likely won’t be scheduled until at least January.  Continue reading...

 

Ariail: Ludwig case doesn’t define him

Former prosecutor hopes started Greenville County's drug court

JANUARY 21, 2011 11:25 a.m. (0)

Former 13th Circuit Solicitor Bob Ariail knows he’ll be remembered for John Ludwig, the case that produced controversy and protests during the final months of his 14-year tenure as Greenville County’s top prosecutor.

Ludwig, a Greenville businessman, received probation for driving his Maserati through a man’s house and killing him.

Ariail hopes instead to be remembered for starting Greenville County’s drug court, for improving the quality of lawyers in the solicitor’s office and for pursuing justice in each case.  Continue reading...

 

The life and trials of William Walter Wilkins

MAY 27, 2011 12:00 p.m. (2)

As a child, Billy Wilkins fell in love with courtroom drama while watching his father try cases at the Greenville County Courthouse.

He made up his mind then to be an attorney and went on to become an iconic figure in state legal circles as 13th Circuit solicitor, chief judge of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and in private practice today.

He is well connected in Republican circles and was Ronald Reagan’s first appointment to the federal court system in the early 1980s.  Continue reading...

 

Ludwig violates probation

Revocation hearing set for January

NOVEMBER 10, 2011 1:39 p.m. (0)

John Ludwig, the Greenville man who served no jail time after he lost control of his Maserati and it went through a house, killing the homeowner, could find out on Jan. 13 whether he’ll have to go to prison.

Ludwig faces two counts of probation violation after a weekend arrest on a criminal domestic violence charge.

He was released on a $10,000 bond and ordered to appear in court for a probation revocation hearing on Jan. 13.  Continue reading...

 

John Ludwig goes to prison

Judge sentences him to three years in prison for violating probation

JANUARY 19, 2012 2:09 p.m. (0)

John Ludwig avoided jail time when he plowed his Maserati through a house, killing the homeowner watching television on his couch. But a November argument with his wife is sending him to prison.

Circuit Judge C. Victor Pyle revoked Ludwig’s probation and sentenced him to three years in prison.

“It appears to me you have a very serious problem with anger,” Pyle told Ludwig before the sentence.  Continue reading...