Sunday alcohol sales measure receives 1st reading approval BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com (803) 774-1272
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014
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SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894 3 SECTIONS, 26 PAGES | VOL. 119, NO. 155
The glass isn’t on the bar yet, but it might be under the tap. Sumter took the first step toward allowing the sale of alcoholic drinks on Sundays after city council took action Tuesday. Council voted 5-1 to put the question on the ballot for November’s election, allowing voters to decide
whether to allow drinks to be served on the day of rest inside the city limits. All members present voted in favor of the referendum, except councilman Calvin Hastie, who voted against. Councilman Bob Galiano was absent. The measure must pass a second reading expected at council’s next meeting May 6. The measure is supported by the Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce, which asked city council for
a referendum to let voters decide whether alcohol can be served on Sundays. Mayor Joe McElveen said the vote isn’t an endorsement of Sunday sales but is instead a necessary legal step to let the public vote. “I want to stress that all we’re doing is giving our constituents a chance to decide. We can’t spend one dime of taxpayer money either
SEE CITY COUNCIL, PAGE A7
MARIO CARRBARUS SCOTT MURDER TRIAL
Witnesses take stand ‘We own the finish line’ America remembers those killed in Boston Marathon bombing a year ago A6 IN LOCAL SPORTS
Sumter U12 VooDoo Dolls win 2nd straight Publix Academy soccer title B1
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Women present before shooting explain evening’s events BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com (803) 774-1225
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Deputy Solicitor John Meadors, right, looks on as witness Tajuana Davis points to a map on Tuesday at the Sumter County Judicial Center while explaining events that preceded the shooting death of Mario Scott.
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Jurors heard several points of view concerning the events that preceded and followed the shooting death of Mario Carrbarus Scott as several witnesses took the stand at Sumter County Judicial Center on Tuesday. In total, Deputy Solicitor John Meadors called five female witnesses to testify, each of whom were present at a party at which Scott was last seen before he was shot to death at a nearby intersection following an argument with Shonta Larissa Helton, 31, who faces a charge of accessory before the fact of murder for Scott’s death. The alleged gunman is Helton’s boyfriend at the time, 33-yearold Gary R. Dargan, represented by attorney Tim Murphy. The first of those witnesses
called to the stand, Tajuana Davis, said she and several friends gathered at the home of Betty Welch on Dec. 8, 2012, for a girls’ night to celebrate Welch’s new job. According to Davis, everything was going well until there was a discussion concerning what does and doesn’t designate a “lady,” at which point Helton reportedly became irate. As tensions rose, Davis said the argument was moved outside, where Scott and Helton got into an argument themselves. The group attempted to calm the two down, but the witness said Helton refused to lay off, pushing Scott. The two were then separated. Helton continued to make comments at Scott, however, who then ran over and struck the top of Helton’s head, aiming to jar her wig, according to Davis. “(Helton) then got really upset,” Davis said. “(Welch) then told Mario (Scott) that he needed to
leave. And he left.” According to Davis, Helton then reportedly got on her cellphone and called her boyfriend, Dargan, and said, “Gary, this (expletive) put his hands on me. Come over here and kill this (expletive). I’m at Betty’s house.” Several other witnesses also testified that Helton indeed called someone, allegedly Dargan, and asked that person to kill Scott. “(Helton) flipped out,” Welch said. “She started cussing. ... She jumps on the phone and called Gary.” The defense objected, citing speculation, but when asked if she was sure, Welch said, “She said Gary. “(Helton) said, ‘You need to come get this (expletive),’” Welch recalled. “’He just put his (expletive) hands on me.’” Including Welch, three witnesses
SEE TRIAL, PAGE A7
Tuomey ‘cuddlers’ soothe infants, help them get stronger Cuddlers are volunteers that come on a regular basis to cuddle and read to babies in the Intermediate Care Nursery at Tuomey Regional Medical Center. They typically come once a week and spend an average of one to four hours with the babies. Tuomey currently has four cuddlers.
BY JADE REYNOLDS jade@theitem.com (803) 774-1250
CHRIS MOORE / SPECIAL TO THE SUMTER ITEM
Many Sundays, you’ll find Pam Eaker volunteering with babies in the Tuomey Regional Medical Center nursery. “I love it,” she said. “It’s so fun. We’re called ‘cuddlers’ and basically we feed them, love on them, burp them, hold them and rock them.” She has been with the EAKER program about 16 years and is one of the longest-serving ones, according to Barbara Kenawy, registered nurse and clinical nursery manager.
Started in the early 1990s, the cuddler program has included men and women ranging in age from 18 to 80. Volunteers go through a class or are placed one on one with a nurse to learn about the equipment they will be working around, feeding cues, signs of when the baby needs to go back to bed and more. “The benefits for the babies are endless,” Kenawy said. “We are a Level II Nursery. This means we deliver anyone 32 weeks’ gestation and up. Our babies can be in the Intermediate Care Nursery or Continuing Care Nursery for a few days, weeks or months. ... As many of these babies
SEE BABIES, PAGE A7