" Elise, you seem pretty focused on certain elected officials...could it be that you USED to work for one? Maybe if YOUR understanding of the law had been a little better, you would STILL be working there... "

" Stop blaming the prosecutors for the sentences. Besides, four years ago stong armed robbery would have gotten probation in our circuit. There isn't a solicitor in the state that is tougher on crime than Pascoe. "

" I am quite pleased that a public official (or anyone for that matter) has taken personal responsibility for his mistake. Don Sorenson resigned his position and is suffering the consequences of his actions. "

" Tough on crime? Let's look under crime and read Strong armed robbery nets man three years and the rest of the court information for the day and see... "

" I am writing in response to the article in which Deputy Solicitor Don Sorenson was arrested. I have continuously read all the articles and comments. I am not only shocked but disappointed at the ignorance coming from one of our very own citizens, who claims they know the law so well (Elise). There have been many people who have opted to pass judgement on a man in which they have never had the pleasure of meeting. And as for "Elise" and her knowledge of christianity, she obviously forgot one of the most famous verses in the bible. This would be the verse, and I quote, "those who have NOT sinned may cast the first stone." Have you not ever committed a sin, Elise? Mr. Sorenson, I'm sure, has realized what his mistake has cost him. Although it was unlawful, he did it on his own time, not on the clock of Solicitor Pascoe. This doesn't make things better for Mr. Sorenson, however it does show there IS a barrier they keep between their work/professional time and personal time. Solicitor Pascoe has no control over the decisions made by anyone in his office after working hours. Also, how can you blame Solicitor Pascoe, when Dep. Solicitor Sorenson had such an outstanding record and known rapport with the staff in Summerville.

As for myself, I work in the field of Law Enforcement and have had the pleasure of knowing both Don Sorenson and Solicitor David Pascoe. It is obvious to me that Solicitor Pascoe does not treat his staff like they are people who just draw a check at the end of each week. He seems to actually CARE about them and decisions that will effect their future. To me, he treats them like a second family, one that he is willing to stand up for. During the time I have dealt with Mr.Pascoe, he has been very pleasant and had more knowledge it seemed than Einstein! This man is very intelligent, and I believe he would only make decisions that would protect our community and keep everyone safe. Obviously, none of you who had negative remarks, have never actually seen Solicitor Pascoe prosecute a case. It is amazing how a man can prosecute a case with such endurance and knowledge, that he never or rarely looks at his notes. It's almost like he puts himself at the scene of the crime. Oh, and about all the DUI stuff that was mentioned, the assistant solicitor was not even convicted. How could he let go of someone who wasn't even convicted for any crime. Elise, were you there or did you see the Asst. Solicitor drunk? I doubt it, so get off of it,ok? I remember not to long ago when I sat in on Mr.Pascoe when he prosecuted a Felony DUI case that involved a family of 3 who were killed by a DRUNK DRIVER. The Solicitor did an excellent job and you could obviusly tell he had no remorse for the defendant and had absolutely no tolerance for alcohol. It really made me think if I wanted to ever drink again. I know one thing, after that I definetly would not want Solicitor Pascoe to have any opportunity to prosecute me or anyone close to me. You look at him as committing some kind of crime concerning his employees, when in all actuality I'm sure we would all like to have a boss or superior who cared about us and our family like Solicitor Pascoe obviously does his staff. Read something else Elise. "

" Guess what, Beast? Your nickle poker game is just as illegal as a "vegas-style" poker game in this state. Has nothing to do with the dollar amount. Under the law, you are a criminal even if you play poker without betting a nickle. And Foosball, the Solicitor doesn't surround himself with criminals. There is no one working in that office that has ever been convicted of a crime. As to the two everyone is referring to, Sorenson stands merely accused and the assistant accused of DUI 3 yrs ago was exonerated. The only ones he calls "gutless cowards" are the ones that murder innocent people then try to cover it up - it sounds like you were in court for a particular trial on the side of the defendant. "

" It is amazing that Solicitor David Pascoe has done nothing wrong, but folks will take the time to take shots at him. No where in this article does it say he has done anything wrong. Some folks couldn’t wait for the article to be posted before she went online to post a comment…sounds like somebody is a little bitter. David is a great prosecutor and an even better person. Your disdain for David cannot hide the fact that his office has done a great job in prosecuting cases throughout the entire First Circuit, his record speaks for him. "

" foosballplayer29115, we know where you go to school. For those who write racial slurs on school walls and don't confess to it...yes you are "gutless". "

" After reading the comments of "notime" and "Glenn" it is obvious that they are both employees of Mr. Pascoe's. "Notime" seems to know a lot about the gambling laws "on the books" and as far as Uno and Old Maid - my family does not have $40,000 on the table when we play. "Glenn" you state that Mr. Pascoe is hard on crime but you forget that the people who vote in this county read the paper and see the number of people that get probation and worse yet let out of jail scott free. Was the assistant solicitor "exonerated" or was he allowed to enter a plea to a lower charge? I was a jury on a case where a police officer was charged and the prosecutor told us that the policeman was "held to a higher standard", well shouldn't Mr. Sorenson be held to an even higher standard? I would like to know how many people he has put in jail for gambling in his career? "

" It's sad our Solicitor surrounds himself and office with criminals. This is a direct example of his character. I wonder if he told his assistant Solicitor that he is a "Gutless Coward" "

" Elise you seem to have all the answers "

" Elise,

Your comments are very ignorant to the facts at hand.

1. Solicitor Pascoe explained in Tuesday's T&D that a major reason he waited to officially accept Sorenson's resignation was to enable him to inform his staff of the decision before they learned about it from the media. In the meantime, he suspended him without pay. Sounds like a professional and responsible decision to me.

2. You are right about one thing, he is tough on crime. He is the best solicitor Orangeburg has ever had.

3. Finally, why do you feel compelled to talk about an assistant solicitor who was never convicted of DUI? Again, while the charge was pending, he was suspended w/o pay as I recall. After he was exonerated, he was allowed to return to the Solicitor's Office. That seems like a fair resolution to me. That is the type of Solictor we should all want, someone who doesn't make rash decisions to protect his own image but one who treats others as innocent until proven guilty.

Let me ask you a question Elise. Do you believe that if a person was ever arrested they should be precluded from serving as a solicitor even if they are acquitted? "

" Blah Blah Blah. Fact of the matter is that while I am at home, having nickel poker night with my best buds, this guy is running the real deal under our noses. This just is not fair. If I cannot partake in such an event without a trip to Vegas or A.C., then I don't think he should.

Whether a silly law or not, it is the law. Unfortunately for him, the dollar amount is what makes this so serious. It is not like my little poker game was raided and a grand total of $3.00 was seized. "

" Public trust is the issue at hand, as well as a violation of S.C. law. This was not a game of Saturday night poker with the boys, this was a case of organized gambling. When $40,000 is seized, that's more than just a boys night out. There have been drug houses raided that didn't net this much cash! Sorry, but until the General Assembly changes the "200 year old law", it comes down to the fact that the law was violated and along with this the public trust was broken. My gratitude goes to the agencies that broke this up. They were doing THEIR job.

"

" Not wearing a seatbelt, speeding and playing monopoly on Sundays does not require a 10 month investigation by SLED and does not result in the arrests of dozens of people. Like it or not, we have these laws for a reason. I don't believe that the average citizen would lose their job for getting arrested for this. But when a person's job is to prosecute criminals, do you think he can be effective in that job after his arrest has been plastered all over the paper and news? What about the other assistant who was kept at Pascoe's office after being arrested for DUI? I guess "spider" and "notime" think that was petty and a mistake as well. Think about the family whose loved one has been killed by a drunk driver only to learn that the case is being handled by an attorney who was arrested for the same thing and just by the grace of God didn't hurt or kill someone in the process. Pascoe should have given the intelligent voters in this community a little more credit and not bothered with the "time to think" comment. If you can drive drunk and still work for him, certainly a little 10 month investigation by the state's law enforcement agency resulting in the arrest of his right hand man won't concern him a bit. I'd say we should expect to see Mr. Sorenson back to prosecuting the "real criminals" (ie - those who aren't educated and who are poor) really soon. "

" Under this 200 year old law, it is unlawful to play any games with cards or dice in certain places including kitchens, barns and outhouses. Bowling, billiards and whist (whatever that is) are okay as long as there are no side bets, but it's illegal to play any game at all including bowling, etc. on Sunday. Everyone better get rid of your monopoly, uno and of course your old maid cards. Why are the stores selling Texas Hold'em if it's illegal to play it here? Not to mention those little hand-held electronic poker games. The law says you can't play, period. Not just that you can't bet. So Elise, how many times have you broken the same exact law? Interesting that your post was only 30 minutes or so after the article was released. Pascoe is an excellent prosecutor who has done exactly what he said he was going to do when he first took office. I am impressed by the fact that he doesn't want to act in this matter without giving it a little thought. Sorenson is a good attorney who made a mistake. I agree with Spider, let him pay his fine and get back to work putting some REAL criminals in jail. "

" Elise, do you seriously believe that? As a Christian and an active member of the community I understand that people make mistakes. When you're speeding in your car or not wearing a seat belt while driving, you are breaking the law. Yet, nobody comes banging on your door to take you to jail, nor do they ask for your resignation of a high profile job for something so petty. I promise you have friends that make friendly bets on the Super Bowl, or maybe the World Series. Would you have your friends fired for this? The law is outdated and needs to be changed. We have an excellent employee with an excellent record. Let him pay his fine and get back to work. "

" &, in SC, regretably, what's so new about this? . . . "

" Oops! "

" As an active member of the community, I follow with interest any stories regarding our elected officials. I am confused by Mr. Pascoe's comments. He should understand that he was elected in the hope that he would "do the right thing." He knows that the man that he chose as his 2nd in command was arrested for breaking the law after a 10 month investigation AND that he was arrested with 12 other people who had outstanding warrants. He then says that this man has tendered his resignation, but he doesn't want to make a rash decision. A decision about what? Whether to employ someone who breaks the law and brings embarassment to our community? Voters in this circuit need to take notice. This seems to be a pattern. It wasn't so long ago that Mr. Pascoe decided to keep another of his assistants who was arrested for drinking and driving. Mr. Pascoe obviously has a high tolerance for criminal behavior in his office. Is this the person we want prosecuting criminals in our community? Maybe his campaign slogan should be "Tough on crime - unless committed by someone who works for me." "