What began as a frightening moment at a Graniteville school bus stop quickly turned into a social media firestorm — and then a community-wide sigh of relief. But for some residents, the relief hasn’t erased their lingering unease.
On the morning of Thursday, July 24, a group of children was waiting for their school bus on the 300 block of Fioli Circle when a white van pulled up. According to deputies with the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office, the driver — a man accompanied by a woman in the passenger seat — rolled down the window and told the kids the school bus had broken down and offered them a ride to school.
That was enough to send one child running. He dropped his backpack and lunchbox and bolted from the van just as the real bus arrived. The van left the scene immediately after.
The incident was reported to the Sheriff’s Office, and deputies canvassed the neighborhood. Concerned neighbors began circulating security camera footage and speculation on social media. Then, a surprising twist: the man driving the van, identified as Terrance Leverette, saw the posts and voluntarily contacted law enforcement.
Leverette told deputies he had rented the van to take his extended family to an out-of-town event. He had stopped by his brother-in-law’s home nearby and saw children waiting at the stop. Believing he recognized some of them from previous visits, he asked if the bus had broken down and offered a ride. When one child ran, he said he realized how it looked and drove off so as not to scare the others. He later left his contact information with his brother-in-law for parents and fully cooperated with investigators. A walk-through of his home found nothing concerning. No criminal charges were filed.
Still, for many parents and community members, the incident raised serious red flags.
“I really hope they followed up with every parent whose child was absent,” wrote local resident Nezzie Nichole on Facebook. “God forbid a child fell for it and didn’t show up at school.”
Another resident, Tiffany Dixon, commented, “Joke or not, a white van tried to snatch a little girl at Walmart on Richland Avenue two weeks ago. I do not believe this was a hoax. Maybe that person was involved — you never know. Just to be safe, talk to your children about this.”
Carrielynn Cason was more direct in her outrage: “It is ridiculous, truly! The people should be held accountable! There has to be some kind of charge. Just a week or two ago, there was an arrest made in the same neighborhood for child p**n! Why did they leave the scene if it was just a misunderstanding? Why not stay and clarify with parents?”
Some residents questioned the timing — noting that Leverette came forward only after the photo of his van went viral.
“Perhaps the person or persons needed time to take care of things that would condemn them,” Cason continued. “From my understanding, they have a family member in that area who knew what was happening. So they knew the police were involved but still chose to wait to come forward. That’s very suspicious to me.”
Despite the intense reaction, deputies determined no criminal law was broken. Leverette acknowledged the scare he caused and expressed remorse. According to the final report, the case was closed, though it may be referred to juvenile investigators if additional concerns arise.
The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office released a statement thanking the public for reporting the incident: “We want to thank the public for sharing this information, as it assisted us in the investigation. We encourage everyone to always report suspicious activity to law enforcement.”
