Gag Order in Ware Shoals-Jill Moore-Jane Blackwell Case

Ware Shoals, SC (TLS). A Greenwood County court has issued a gag order which will amount to a total news blackout in the Jill Moore-Jane Blackwell-Ware Shoals High School cheerleader sex scandal. The order comes in the wake of the airing of a videotape on a local TV station, showing Jill Moore's interrogation by Greenwood County Sheriff's officials.

The content of the portion of the video that was shown on TV directly involves former Ware Shoals High School principal Jane Blackwell and what she may have known about the activities of former cheerleader coach Jill Moore.

Moore was charged with giving alcohol and cigarettes to minors and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

But it was allegations of sexual misconduct that led to the investigation into Moore's activities, which eventually led to a charge of obstruction brought against Blackwell.

State's attorney Jerry Peace stated that the airing of the video that shows law enforcement interrogation of Moore severely compromises the case and that a change in venue may be necessary. In an effort to drastically reduce the likelihood of further compromises, the Court issued the gag order.

This is not the first time that a local television station became part of this story in Ware Shoals. When Principal Jane Blackwell gave testimony before the Ware Shoals School Board, a local TV station refused to shut off its cameras during the testimony as requested. This led to the meeting going behind closed doors, which angered the 200 or so attendees who were then deprived of hearing Blackwell's testimony.

With today's gag order, a television station or a news source that compromises the integrity of the case will result in legal action by the court.

JILL MOORE VIDEO SURFACES IN WARE SHOALS

Ware Shoals, SC (TLS). A video of the interrogation of Jill Moore has surfaced in the Ware Shoals sex scandal case that cost Moore her job as cheerleader coach at the Ware Shoals High School. A local TV news outlet somehow secured a copy of the video, which it proceeded to telecast.

Upon Moore's arrest, law enforcement officials with the Greenwood County Sheriff's Department escorted Moore to the Sheriff's office to be questioned. These interrogations are routinely videotaped by law enforcement officials.

The portion of the interrogation that dealt with the subject of how much former Ware Shoals High School principal Jane Blackwell knew about Moore's activities is the part of the video that aired on a local news channel.

Greenwood County law enforcement officials state that they do not know at this time how a portion of the tape wound up in the hands of the news media.

The only persons who were given a copy of the tape were the Circuit Solicitor, attorneys for Moore and Blackwell, and the local Ware Shoals School Board attorney. The local state's attorney, Jerry Peace, stated that the airing of the tape compromises the integrity of the court case against Moore.

Peace indicated that a change of venue may be necessary for the trial, given the heavy local publicity the case has received in the local news.

In keeping with The Liberty Sphere's philosophy that criminal cases (and all other cases, for that matter) should be tried only in a court of law and NOT in the court of public opinion, we will not provide links to any source that had a part in distributing or telecasting this tape.

However, we would like to know who is responsible for the leak.