Pelion, SC 04/28/2022 (Paul Kirby) – A member of Shumpert’s IGA’s management team in Pelion, SC has been arrested and charged with Breach of Trust between $2,000 and $10,000 according to Pelion Police Chief John Rebolj. Ray Spires, a longtime employee of the successful Shumpert family-owned grocery store, was arrested and booked on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. Spires worked as an assistant manager of the store. According to Chief Rebolj, Spires was released the same day on a Personal Recognizance Bond by a Lexington County judge.
Spires had served as the mayor of the Town of Swansea during the past 10-years. During his tenure, constant rumors swirled about financial improprieties there however to date, none of those charges have been substantiated by law enforcement. He tried to regain that position in the last election but was soundly defeated.
Shumpert’s IGA is the only full-service grocery store in the Pelion area. For approximately 130 years, the Shumpert family has been running the business that has been a vital part of that community. When the store was founded, you could buy everything from dry goods, to groceries, and even caskets at Shumpert’s store.
The Shumpert family is still known for their philanthropical work, especially in the field of education. They also offer services like check cashing that many other stores don’t do anymore. This is done as a service to the community that has a many working poor and middle-class members that do not maintain bank accounts. Community service has always been a cornerstone of the Shumpert family’s businesses. Over the last century plus, they have owned many businesses in Pelion that would have left the people of the area lacking if those had not been there.
Opmerkingen