WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCBD) – Community members are concerned about a new ministry that is set to open in the Walterboro area.

Shield Ministries, an organization that claims to help convicted sex offenders rehabilitate and re-enter society, will open its doors off Barracada Road near Highway 17-A.

About 50 men could be housed at the property at any given time as the first phase of their three-phase program to help the men improve their lives.

“Shield Ministries is an organization that works to help men transition from the devastation of their past into a thriving future,” explained David Truluck, executive director for Shield Ministries.

But those who live nearby say they are concerned about having sex offenders so close to their homes, children, and grandchildren.

“I’ve lived here for 35 years. I love Walterboro. I love the community,” said neighbor Lisa Langdale.

Langdale is worried about what is going in at this old church site in her rural neighborhood. “I’m just really concerned about living in the neighborhood, for our children, and living in the neighborhood even for myself,” she said.

She’s even part of a new Facebook group that has gained more than 600 followers.

“What do you say to people who maybe they live nearby, they have children or grandchildren at their house, and they’re concerned? What would you say to them,” we asked Truluck.

“Well, we have been a big asset to the community. When you look at our history, we have great relationships with law enforcement agencies,” Truluck replied.

There is also concern about Truluck, personally, because he is a registered sex offender.

“I believe the offense was committ or attempt a lewd act on a child. Do you understand why people might be concerned about an organization that you’re leading being right there in their neighborhood as well,” News 2 asked.

“I do understand why they would be concerned about that, but one of the things I would like to communicate to them is, I’ve been through the process of healing I’ve been through court-ordered counseling, which we will be providing,” he replied.

When asked if he could guarantee that none of the men in the program would bring harm to anyone in the community, Truluck said “I don’t think we could give that type of guarantee,” but cited the program’s “zero percent recidivism” rate.

A community meeting geared toward showcasing the proposal will take place Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. across from Tractor Supply on Bells Highway in Walterboro.

Leaders with Shield Ministries say they are in the process of getting the property ready to open, however, they do not have a specific opening date at this time.

Boise Cascade Company, a leading manufacturer and distributor for building materials, plans to establish a new facility in Walterboro, South Carolina. The $9 million project is expected to create 30 jobs in Colleton County.

Located at 157 Risher Mountain Tower Road the distribution center will provide direct access to the Palmetto Railways Salkehatchie Subdivision rail line, connecting the company to the national freight rail network.

“We are excited to be planning a branch location in Colleton County. This investment demonstrates our commitment to a terrific customer base in a growing market,” Boise Cascade Company Building Materials Division Executive Vice President Jeff Strom said.

As an incentive the Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to this project. A $200,000 Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF) grant was also awarded to Colleton County to assist with the costs of site preparation and infrastructure improvements.

“Congratulations to Boise Cascade Company, as it expands in yet another South Carolina location. Our state’s rural communities are producing and distributing products from some of the world’s most trusted companies, and we’re excited that the Colleton community can add Boise Cascade to that roster. We look forward to supporting the company’s continued growth within South Carolina,” Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III noted.

Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, Boise Cascade serves residential and industrial construction retail yards, manufacturing wood products and distributing wholesale building materials across North America.

“SouthernCarolina Alliance welcomes Boise Cascade to our region of South Carolina. We appreciate both the direct and indirect jobs that this operation will bring to our robust wood products sector, and we congratulate Colleton County on this exciting announcement, which will benefit from Colleton’s workforce and strategic location,” SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance Chairman Marty Sauls added.

“Palmetto Railways appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with Boise Cascade, Colleton County and SouthernCarolina Alliance to fulfill the rail infrastructure and logistics needs of another South Carolina business. We look forward to seeing the continued success and service of the Salkehatchie Subdivision line, a testament to the power of rail connections within South Carolina communities,” Palmetto Railways President and CEO Patrick McCrory said.

On Wednesday, Dec. 28 a community meeting was held that centered around the

concerns and questions that local citizens have about a men’s transitional house

proposed to open in March of 2023 to potentially house between 50- 100 offenders.

Those in attendance were Mayor Bill Young, Sheriff Guerry ‘Buddy’ Hill, several local

media outlets, and approximately 75 concerned citizens of Walterboro.

Shield Ministries has purchased the property located at 1705 Barracada Rd, formally

known as Living Word Church, and have already made improvements to it. This location

would place the men’s house amid a residential area where families, churches, and

schools are.

Shield Ministries is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded by Reverend David

Truluck and his wife Melodie Truluck. Shield Ministries' home office is in Charleston and

their program is described as a means to help men that have been in prison to make to

transition back into civilian life. The transitional house would host first-time and non-

violent offenders of a variety of charges, including but not limited to sex offenses.

According to the 2021 annual report provided by Shield Ministries, 70 percent of the

participants in the Charleston locations are registered sex offenders. Visit

www.shieldministries.org/_files/ugd/6ae18f_552781bb122e43a5bb4b8966a83d83ed.pdf

for more information.

Attendees discussed how the founder; David Truluck is also a registered sex offender

who is said to be reformed. Additional information can be found at

www.homefacts.com/offender-detail/SC1287426/David-Montgomery-Truluck.

Those presenting at the meeting provided some statistical data and information about

the organization and its two founders. Based on the information discussed, there was a

consensus that rehabilitation and housing programs are positive initiatives. There was

also a consensus that it should not be in a residential area near potential victims if the

men with sexual charges were to re-offend while housed within the community.

According to state law, anyone that is registered cannot reside within 1,000 feet of any

school, childcare center, church, and park. When converted, 1,000 feet is about .19

miles. There is a church, Kingdom Hall, that is .20 miles away from the proposed house.

For more information visit

library.municode.com/sc/columbia/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH14OF

MIPR_ARTXSEOFRERE#:~:text=Any%20person%20required%20to%20register,playin

g%20fields%20or%20courts%20or.

Some of the concerns voiced by community members included how the founder,

Truluck was not forthcoming with all the plans, processes, and intent of the transitional

home with the community. Another concern is potentially accepting and bringing in more

convicted pedophiles into the community with no real evidence to ensure the safety of vulnerable residents within the community such as women, children, and those of

differing abilities.

An additional concern raised was how a small rural community such as Walterboro

would be able to support and sustain a facility with possible 50-100 men. Each male

that would reside within the transitional house would be required to obtain a job within

the community in order to pay for his stay at the facility. As of Aug. 2022, Walterboro

has an unemployment rate of 3.5 percent compared to Charleston’s unemployment rate

of 2.6 percent visit www.homefacts.com/unemployment/South-Carolina/Colleton-

County/Walterboro. With a small job market currently available, it could be difficult to

sustain employment opportunities for every citizen of the working age. The extra influx

of residents would also become taxing on other infrastructures such as medical care,

hospitalization, and law enforcement as well.

Meagan Bishop made the first post made on several local Facebook pages and Lisa

Langdale was also present for the meeting. Bishop is the daughter of Melodie Truluck.

She also stated that David Truluck was her abuser. She shared her story with those in

attendance. Langdale is a concerned member of the community along with several

citizens that have created an informational Facebook group page to spread awareness.

This page is called STOP Pedifiles Housing on Barracada Road. (*Note: Misspelling of

pedophiles is intentional, so Facebook algorithms do not block the page.)

Bishop explained that she was 12 years old at the time of the charges against Truluck

and his indictment. She stated that her mother gave up custody of all three of her

children in order to stay with David, her stepfather. She said, “I'm speaking from

experience that if Melody didn't care about protecting her own children, that she

definitely doesn't care about protecting your children or any other children that this may

ultimately harm.” Bishop also stated, “I just felt I needed to raise awareness to this

community about it. If I can just prevent one child from harm, I have to at least try to

stop this.”

Mayor Young assured the citizens that no city funding was provided for this transitional

house. He also indicated that the property is in the county outside of city limits, therefore

the city would not have or receive any permit requests. Those would have to go through

the county. Additionally, he said that he personally could not support this in Walterboro

and Colleton County.

Sheriff Hill stated that for a variety of reasons rehabilitation is paramount and that there

is a place for everything, but this location is not the place. He suggested that a location

that is not populated with residents would be more suitable.

*Update: As of Saturday, Dec. 31 the Shield Ministries has changed its webpage by

removing the image of the Barracada Road location along with its announcement of the

projected new location. At the time of publication of the article, the Press & Standard had reached out for a

statement from David Truluck. He responded via email “At this time we would like to say

we are considering multiple possibilities with the property in Colleton County.”

The Shield Ministries webpage includes a statement, “The mission of Shield Ministries

is to teach men how to think, choose, and build correctly which promotes healing; to

teach life skills to help men overcome obstacles by using Christian biblical based

principals and mentorship to promote accountability and responsibility; and to provide

residential stability; of which all reduces recidivism.”

There is also a petition in circulation within the community to stop the transitional house

from opening. Citizens attended the Walterboro City Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan.

3 to voice their concerns. They also plan on attending the Colleton County Council

meeting Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 6 p.m.

For more information about Shield Ministries visit www.shieldministries.org, email

david.truluck@shieldministries.org, or call 843-209-7941.

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On Tuesday, Nov. 29 at the Colleton County School Board during the Superintendent’s Operational Update included Information Technology from Angela McAdoo.

On Tuesday, Dec. 13 the CCSD board meeting was held in the PAC (Performing Arts Center) at CCHS (Colleton County High School).

Information Technology Report

On Tuesday, Nov. 29 Colleton County School District staff personnel Angela McAdoo delivered the Technology Report to the school board and community in attendance regarding district-wide technological programming.

In a report, McAdoo explained that during the planning phase for rolling out a “Multi-factor Authentication” (2FA) system throughout the district they ran into some challenges. It was indicated that many of the schools do not have a reliable signal due to the rural area that the schools are in. As a result, staff members are receiving a second prompt for logging in.

McAdoo and her team engineered a solution that will allow them to create a “Safe Haven.” This “safe haven” will bypass the multi-factor authentication step staff are on-site at each of the district-owned properties. However, if any staff member attempts to access district resources off campus, they will be prompted for a second authentication factor.

McAdoo shared that after a discussion with her executive cabinet, it was decided to move to a new and improved help desk and asset management solution. The new solution allows the ability to monitor SLA metrics, which determines how long it takes to respond to and close tickets. It also monitors response times to these actions. The program also gives better visibility into the equipment and work orders for the district.

Currently, the district operates on two different platforms. One platform is used to track assets and an additional platform is where tickets are housed. The new system will also improve reporting capabilities. Additionally, there will be cost savings of approximately $15,000 by consolidating the separate platforms into one by comparison to the current multiple platform systems in place. McAdoo and her team plan to embark on this new system as a joint effort with buildings and grounds so that when work orders need to be submitted, everything will go through the same system.

McAdoo and her team are also looking at a partnership with the South Carolina

Critical Infrastructure Cyber Security Program (SC CIC). This program will offer Phish testing and vulnerability scans monthly, along with incident response when needed. The application process for this program has been started and it is a free opportunity for the district.

McAdoo said that they are also partnering with the Department of Education

to get access to the “Nessus Professional” on-premises network vulnerability scanning program. This program is free, with no cost to be used for one month. It is a program that scans and tracks vulnerabilities. Reports are sent to their CISO (chief information security officer) to be viewed and then reports of their findings will be sent back.

McAdoo described the partnership with the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce in the works in order to get the team certified in security. This program has a $5,000 value for each person, which will be free for our district through the SC CompTIA IWT Scholarship. There are eight employees are slated for certification.

Additionally, the department is also in the middle of performing a security audit on the environment. The results of the audit will help establish a baseline of where the district is with cyber security and insurance readiness. It will also give a better picture of which direction needs to be taken to improve and get the district in a more secure position. This step will also help the district in obtaining cyber insurance.

Upon the conclusion of the presentation, school board member Sharon Witkin asked if the cost of the security audit was a budgeted item. McAdoo said it was not a budgeted item. Witkins asked district office personnel, Ramona Barrett, if the cost of the audit would be put under procurement in order to put out a bid for auditors and then come before the board. McAdoo stated that they worked with the chief procurement director and assured the board that everything fell within the guidelines. Barrett and Witkin then discussed a few details that were then determined would be covered in the finance report.

School board member Lynn Stroble also inquired about the district website and communications. It was discussed that currently, the district website is not very user-friendly in terms of locating information relevant to school board meetings and times, and Stroble wanted to share that so it can be remedied.

*UPDATE: On Tuesday, Dec. 13 the CCSD board meeting was held in the PAC (Performing Arts Center) at CCHS (Colleton County High School). Due to raised concerns, CCSD office personnel, Ramona Barrett gave clarification from the finance department that data of the district such as employee social security numbers, bank information, and district bank accounts was not subject to the cyber-attack. All the data for district employees is secure.

CCSD personnel Ellen Fitch responded regarding the work order system that the district currently uses. She indicated that the technology department currently uses multiple platforms throughout the district to manage several operations, but the department is looking at condensing the system for work orders to one platform in order to save the district some money. The current projected goal for transition into one platform is slated for July 1.

**Additionally, Colleton County School District staff personnel Angela McAdoo submitted her formal letter of resignation to the school district on Wednesday, November 30 following the school board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 29. McAdoo’s official last day is December 31.

More information will be combined with upcoming reports. The next school board meeting was held on Tuesday, Dec. 13.

The press and standard will be presenting an educational series with a weekly column breaking down each of the department reports to help provide the minutes of the meeting as a source of information for the community.

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(Family Features) A new year is a perfect time to consider the habits you want to keep and the ones you’d like to develop. One resolution to consider is helping your children develop a growth mindset this year.

“We know one of the greatest boosts to parents’ confidence over the past year came from knowing their children’s whole selves are being nurtured, and we want to see that trend continue,” said Carter Peters from KinderCare Learning Center’s education team. “A growth mindset helps children try new things despite fear of failure. It’s the kind of thinking that allows inventors and creative thinkers to get excited about trying something new and ensures they have the cognitive flexibility and problem-solving skills to work through hurdles.”

Adults can often easily spot when children are engaged in creative thinking and prideful of their work, but that confidence may be lost as failures turn into insecurities. By nurturing a growth mindset and showing children they can learn and develop new skills in any area, it better sets them up for long-term success.

Consider these three tips to help children build a growth mindset:

Praise effort: It’s easy to fall into the habit of praising successes. However, praising effort encourages children to try new things without the fear of failing. It also teaches children personal growth and achievement are possible, even if their overall effort wasn’t a success.

“Young children often get excited to try something new,” Peters said. “By praising effort and showing children they’ll still be loved and valued despite the outcome, you can reframe how they approach challenges and teach them that difficult doesn’t mean impossible.”

Encourage the process: People often withhold praise until there’s a result, which leads children to hurriedly scribble a picture to hold up for a “good job” instead of taking time to focus on their efforts. When children know adults will encourage them during the process, instead of only upon the achievement, they’re more likely to try new things or master a new skill. For example, try providing encouragement such as, “I can see you’re focused on drawing that tree. It looks so lifelike because you’re putting so much thought into what you’re doing.” Once their project is finished, continue the encouragement by hanging up their artwork or school projects in a prominent place.

Model a growth mindset: You can model a growth mindset for children by narrating your actions when you are facing a challenge: “I am having a difficult time putting this shelf together, but it’s OK. I’ll take a break then read the instructions again.” Remove negative words from your vocabulary, such as “I can’t” or “I’m stupid.” Even when you are joking, children may not be able to tell the difference. You can also ask your children to join you in problem-solving. Take time to hear their ideas and try them even if you think they won’t work. This not only supports the development of their growth mindset, but the quality time and encouragement reinforces their sense of self-worth and builds confidence.

For more tips to help children develop a growth mindset, visit kindercare.com.

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