Clerks of court, magistrates, city recorders, and other public officers in this State having charge or responsibility with respect to the keeping of records of convictions, the entry of pleas of guilty or nolo contendere, or the forfeitures of bond posted for violations of this article, except § 61-6-4720, must report to the department each conviction, plea of guilty, nolo contendere, or bond forfeiture within ten days after the conviction, entry of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or forfeiture of bond, or after the receipt of this report, as the case may be. These reports must be made upon forms provided by the department, arranged in duplicate; and it is the duty of the department to acknowledge the filing of each report by signing the duplicate of the report and returning it to the officer making the report. The officer making the report must keep it as evidence of his compliance with the requirements that he made the report.

A person who violates this section is subject to a penalty of twenty-five dollars for each offense, to be collected by the Attorney General of this State, or the solicitors of the State under the direction of the Attorney General, and paid into the general fund of the State.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 61-6-4240

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
  • Person: includes an individual, a trust, estate, partnership, limited liability company, receiver, association, company, corporation, or any other group. See South Carolina Code 61-2-100
  • Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.

The reports or certified copies of these reports must be received as evidence under the provisions of this article, except § 61-6-4720.