Assistant 15th Circuit solicitor resigns

By Jody Barr
WBTW News 13 Reporter
Published: May 15, 2008

Assistant 15th circuit solicitor, Bert von Hermann turned in his resignation to solicitor Greg Hembree Thursday.

Von Hermann prosecuted two high-profile child abuse cases in Horry County during his tenure as prosecutor, which started in 1999.

Many of Von Hermann’s cases involved child abuse charges.

The first was the landmark Regina McKnight case in 2001 where a jury found her guilty of abusing cocaine while pregnant and a judge sentenced her to 12 years in prison.

The case set a national precedence in cases like it.
The other high profile case Von Hernann won was back in April where an Horry County jury convicted Wesley Smith in the death of his four month old daughter in 2004.

Von Hermann told News13 he planned to leave the solicitor’s office several months ago to pursue a career as a defense attorney, but agreed to stay on to prosecute the Smith case, a case Von Hermann held from the beginning.

Von Hermann, a University of South Carolina law school graduate, plans to practice law in his own law firm at 200 Elm Street in Conway beginning later this month.