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COLUMBIA (WACH) - The suspect in the case of a missing Columbia teen will be in court Friday morning to ask for a gag order against Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott.
The 52-year-old Freddie Grant will appear at the hearing, which was originally scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m, at 9:30 a.m. Friday. Judge Deandrea G. Benjamin will handle the proceedings.
A motion to impose a gag order on Sheriff Leon Lott was filed on August 30.
The motion addresses the three press conferences held by Lott, who has also appeared on the national television show "Nancy Grace" at least twice to discuss details on the case against Grant and the search for 15-year-old Gabrielle Swainson.
Grant's attorneys hope to keep Lott from discussing the case publicly.
In one of the press conferences, Lott addressed the gag order.
"His lawyer sent us a letter saying don't talk to [Grant], so we can't talk to him," said Lott. "We can't even ask [Grant] what time of day it is, so there has been nothing from [Grant] whatsoever."
The motion says Lott is "feeding the media frenzy surrounding the disappearance" of Gabbiee Swainson by referring to Grant as a "monster" and an "overall bad guy."
The search continues for Gabbiee Swainson who went missing in the early hours of August 18.
Anyone with information on the case should contact CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.
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Gag Freddie. All that scumbag has to do is tell where Gabbiee is, and the press conferences will stop. A young girl is still missing and may possibly (though it's unlikely) be alive. This story should remain front and center until she's found.
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http://www.midlandsconnect.com/news/stor...FH1DhiyMvo
Judge denies gag order (defense attorney wanted to gag sheriff)
...An attorney for the man charged with kidnapping the teen asked for the gag order after Sheriff Leon Lott called the suspect a "monster" numerous times and said that Freddie Grant made him sick to his stomach. Richland County public defender Fielding Pringle argued that kind of commentary demonized Grant and could poison a pool of potential jurors if the case ever goes to trial.
Judge's DeAndrea Benjamin's Wednesday ruling called the the gag order request "overbroad" and "extreme." ...
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http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article...992075.php
The bastard who abducted Gabbiee still hasn't divulged anything about her. His trial on a federal weapons charge has been delayed to January.
If convicted on the ammunition charge, Grant could face a possible life sentence if a judge determines that his prior convictions make Grant an armed career criminal, according to federal prosecutors.
So there's hope that this creep can be put away for a long time.
