Public Information
About the 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office
The Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office is the chief prosecuting agency for Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties. Covering 3,200 square-miles of South Carolina’s renowned Lowcountry, we are the only five-county circuit in the state.
Our primary role is to prosecute all cases in General Sessions Court, certain misdemeanors in Magistrate’s Court and all criminal cases in Family Court. Each year, we prosecute approximately 5,000 cases.
Additionally, our office operates a number of prevention programs including pre-trial intervention, worthless check, alcohol education, traffic education, treatment-based courts and juvenile arbitration.
The office is led by the Solicitor, who is elected every four years. Solicitor Duffie Stone was appointed by the Governor in 2006. He was re-elected in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
More Information
- Office Overview
- About Solicitor Duffie Stone
- History
- Partnerships
- Career Criminal Unit
- Federal prosecution
- Special Victims Unit
- Intelligence Unit
- Locations & Contact Information
- Download Solicitor's Office Logo
- Cameras in the Courtroom
- Request a Speaker or Tour
- List of 14th Circuit law-enforcement agencies
Latest Press Releases
Colleton County General Sessions Court list of matters of 5/17/2022
A list of matters for a non-jury term of Colleton County General Sessions Court, set for May 17-20. The Honorable Judge J. Cordell Maddox, Jr. …
Beaufort County General Sessions Court list of matters of 5/16/2022
A list of matters for jury term of Beaufort County General Sessions Court, set for May 16-20. The Honorable Judge Carmen Mullen presiding. Please note …
Beaufort County General Sessions Court list of matters for week of 4/18/2022
A list of matters for a non-jury term of Beaufort County General Sessions Court, set for April 18-22. The Honorable Judge Edward Miller presiding. Please …
The Solicitor's Office in other news media
A collection of news stories involving the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office and Solicitor Duffie Stone.
Community News
Solicitor attacks General Sessions Court backlog with 5-point plan
The Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office will clean up the backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in a professional manner while providing victims the speedy trials …
Solicitor Stone, on origins of Take Back the Night vigils
Our friends at Hopeful Horizons held their annual Take Back the Night event April 22. Conducted virtually because of COVID precautions, it commemorated Sexual Assault …
Bluffton man convicted in child sexual abuse case
A 60-year-old Bluffton man accused of sexually abusing a young girl is headed to prison. John David Haltom was sentenced to 10 years in prison …
Important Documents
Position Papers & Court Documents
- 2020 Teaching Hospital Model and the Criminal Justice System
- 2018 SC Commission on Prosecution Coordination Officer Involved Shooting Task Force survey results
- Intelligence-led prosecution in a medium-sized office
- Project Safe 14
- SCCPC Domestic Violence Crimes Chart (Both sides)
- State v. Young Jr.
- Effective criminal-justice reform in SC
Domestic Violence Advisory Committee
Solicitor Duffie Stone has been chairman of the S.C. Domestic Violence Advisory Committee since its inception in 2015. This multidisciplinary body was formed to decrease the incidences of domestic violence by developing an understanding of its causes, planning and implementing changes within agencies represented on the committee to stem domestic violence; and advising the governor and General Assembly on policies and practices that will prevent domestic violence.
Measures taken after March 2020 to stem the spread of COVID-19 included shutdowns of many court operations, including jury trials. Unfortunately, crime continued unabated. The result is a substantial backlog of criminal cases in jurisdictions around the country, including South Carolina’s 14th Judicial Circuit. Solicitor Duffie Stone has a plan to reduce the backlog much faster and to provide updates here to track our progress.