Newberry, S.C.; October 27, 2021 — A long-time drug trafficker has been brought back to Newberry County and sentenced to prison after being picked up on his bench warrant stemming from a 2017 trial date for which he failed to appear, 8th Circuit Solicitor David M. Stumbo announced Wednesday.
Calvin Whitener, 46, of Kings Mountain, N.C., was sentenced to the mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years last week in court by Circuit Judge Frank Addy Jr., the same judge who presided over Whitener’s November 2017 court case for which Whitener failed to appear for court after notice of trial.
Whitener was found guilty back in November 2017 by a Newbery County jury of trafficking cocaine, third or subsequent offense, following a two-day trial at which he did not appear. His sentence was sealed until last week when Whitener was brought to court to face his sentence.
Whitener was arrested January 2021 by authorities in Cleveland County, N.C. for new charges. He was also detained on the on the South Carolina bench warrnt until the first week of October, when he was returned to Newberry County to face sentencing on his 2017 trial conviction.
Whitener was arrested in 2014 in Chappells, S.C. near the intersection of SC 56 and Mudlick Road. During the traffic stop, deputies discovered 36 grams of cocaine and $800 in cash on Whitener.
Solicitor Stumbo praised the work of his prosecutors, Taylor Daniel and Dale Scott, along with the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office narcotics investigators and law enforcement in Cleveland County, N.C. in securing the lengthy sentence.
“This case proves that you can run, but your crimes will ultimately catch up with you,” Solicitor Stumbo said. “Calvin Whitener came from out of state to poison our community in Newberry County, and then for years tried to evade the consequences in court. Sheriff (Lee) Foster and I are pleased to know that he will not be dealing deadly drugs on our streets for many years to come.”