NEWS: Mask requirement for unincorporated Beaufort County set to end. PAGE A4
APRIL 15–21, 2021
WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Police seeking information on bomb threat Investigators with the Beaufort Police Department are looking for information on a person or persons suspected to have called in a bomb threat to an area Walmart over the weekend. The call, made sometime in the early part of the evening on Friday,
April 9, was a hoax, according to a news release issued by the department. Beaufort police along with deputies from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and the office’s bomb squad, worked to evacuate the Walmart on Robert Smalls Parkway
then conducted a sweep of the property. Part of the road was closed and residents were told to stay away from the area while the incident was investigated Friday night. No explosive devices were found and the store was allowed to re-open some
time later, the release stated. Police are continuing to investigate and have asked that if anyone has any information about the incident to call the department’s anonymous tip line at 843-3227938. – Mindy Lucas
Rain did not stop these people from watching a recruit graduation at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island prior to last year’s lockdown due to Covid-19 concerns. Officials at the depot have relaxed some of the restrictions allowing for some employees and family members to attend graduations beginning May 7. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
Welcome back Parris Island to allow limited access to recruit graduations starting May 7
From staff reports In yet another sign that things are slowly getting back to normal, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island announced Monday, April 12 that the installation will begin allowing a limited number of people to morning colors and graduation beginning Wednesday, May 7.
According to a news release, the change is part of MCRD Parris Island’s gradual approach to reopen completely to visitors.” “Shifts in policy will be conditions-based, not time-based,” according to the release. MCRD Parris Island announced Thursday, March 12, 2020, on
Easter Bunny at children’s event found to be sex offender By Mindy Lucas A man who volunteered to dress up as the Easter Bunny at a local egg hunt on Sunday, March 28, was later found to be a registered sex offender, according to an incident report made by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Brandon Allen Turner stepped in to play the role at the children’s event held at the Moose Lodge, on Broad River Boulevard, after another individual originally set to play the Easter Bunny was a no-show, according to the report. Turner was convicted on felony charges of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in 2016. In South Carolina, individuals who are convicted and placed on the sex offender registry are listed on the registry for life.
The event, sponsored by the Moose Lodge 1855, featured a children’s Easter egg hunt, food, games and other activities, according to an event flier. Investigators with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office were made aware of Turner’s presence at the event two days later by two individuals – one who recognized Turner as a registered sex offender while attending the event. The other individual reported seeing a post about the incident on social media. A post that appeared on Facebook warned event planners to “please do your research before you let someone be apart of a youth event.” During an interview with an
SEE BUNNY PAGE A4
Facebook that it was canceling family day activities for the immediate future “out of an abundance of caution.” In that Facebook announcement, MCRD Parris Island said, “We understand the significance of this event to Marines and their families, but we must remain cautious
SEE RECRUITS PAGE A4
STRAWBERRIES!
Little Alex Sineath, 3, pushes his John Deere toy dump truck all through Dempsey Farm’s U-PICK Strawberry Patch on Saturday afternoon on St. Helena Island. With him are his father Alex, mom Sophia with his 10-month-old brother Weldon. Owner Davey Dempsey said this is the 34th year he’s had the self-service patch. Last year the strawberry patch was open until early June, but it usually stays “open through mid- to late May.” Dempsey also said that hours of operation are tough to gauge. “All this week, we were open 9-5, but that could change,” he said. “Best if you call us first at 843-830-3656.” Photo by Bob Sofaly.
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Decision whether to reverse previous judge’s decision on Beaufort County road, boat ramp could take months By Mindy Lucas An effort to overturn a Beaufort County judge’s earlier decision in a case involving a dispute over a road and boat ramp on Warsaw Island has landed in South Carolina Court of Appeals. For years, the 30-foot road and boat ramp at the end of the road had been used by island residents and others in neighboring communities, but in 2018, it was blocked and closed by a Beaufort County man who claims he owns the road. Ruben Adams, who purchased a one-acre strip of land adjoining the road just a few years before putting up a gate across it, claimed that a Quiet Title action settled in 1990 which granted the relative of a neighboring family the narrow strip, also included the road and boat ramp. However, the Gardner family, which has maintained the road and boat ramp for generations, paid taxes on both and has a previous survey which shows both were owned by Charles Gardner’s father, claim they are the rightful owners. Up until the road was blocked, they also used it to access their own home and property on the other side of the road. In 2018, Judge Perry M. Buckner III handed down a summary judgment giving
SEE DISPUTE PAGE A5
and focused on public safety.” The number of people who will initially be allowed to witness graduations will be limited. According to the news release, the people with access will include “those who work or live aboard the
MILITARY
Dispute back in court
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Beaufort police investigating fatal shooting Police are calling a fatal shooting that occurred on Sunday, April 11, in the Mossy Oaks neighborhood of Beaufort a homicide and are investigating. Officers with the Beaufort Police Department responding to reports of shots fired just after 6 a.m. found a man on the ground near the front door of a home in the 2500 block of Southside Boulevard, according to a police report. Seeing the man had a gunshot wound, officers called Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and secured the scene. An officer checked the man for a pulse but could not find one, the report stated. EMS responding to the scene confirmed he was dead. The man has been identified as Joshua Reed Paige, 26, of Beaufort, Beaufort County Coroner David Ott
SEE SHOOTING PAGE A4