IN SPORTS: LMA softball hosts region rival Wilson Hall
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Grandmother faces extradition Child abuse suspect charged in Louisiana FROM STAFF REPORTS The grandmother arrested for physically abusing her 7-year-old granddaughter is back behind bars after a brief moment of freedom now that au-
thorities in Louisiana have put out a warrant for her arrest. According to a news release from Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, RAYSOR 55-year-old Jaqeline Raysor posted bond, set at $75,000 cash or surety with GPS monitoring, late Monday. The warrant from Louisiana charg-
es Raysor with child abuse regarding her 9-year-old grandson. Raysor, who moved to Sumter from Louisiana with her grandchildren on April 19, was arrested April 22 after the girl was taken to KershawHealth Medical Center in Camden the previous evening to receive treatment for a burn to her foot. The wound was determined to be an immersion burn, meaning the child’s
foot was submerged in scalding water, according to the news release. The girl underwent surgery on Monday at Palmetto Children’s Hospital in Columbia where surgeons grafted skin onto her foot. The release states her condition has been upgraded to stable, and doctors are now optimistic that her foot can be saved.
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County council reviews spending
Prognosis of progress Demonie Mason, 5, is an active boy who has autism. Courtney Greggs works with him at Early Autism Project Inc. and measures how well he interacts by asking him questions and asking him to perform simple tasks such as sharing and taking turns. Rewards such as watching a video or a treat keep him motivated.
BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com
tism are terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. The disorders are characterized in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors, according to Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, www.autismspeaks.org. Mason said her son went through a six-month diagnostic process to
Sumter County Council and county officials discussed projected expenditures and funding increases for the 2016-17 fiscal year budget during a workshop held before council’s regular meeting on Tuesday. As of Tuesday, the county’s budget stood at $49.39 million for expenditures and $48.31 million in revenue with a deficit of $1.08 million. During the workshop, council members and county officials received explanations for projected funding increases of $50,000 or more for a few county departments. Those departments include: • Sumter County Voters Registration Office, $661,677; • Sumter County Detention Center, $6.43 million; • Sumter County Sheriff ’s Office $9.31 million; and • Sumter County Emergency Medical Services, $4.44 million. Mixon said expenditures for the voter registration office increased by $73,794 because of the upcoming presidential election. The expenses will cover the cost for added poll workers as well as the distribution of election information, he said. The county will be reimbursed by the state for a portion of the cost to operate the presidential election in Sumter, he said.
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Early Autism Project offers hope, treatment BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com Natalie Mason started noticing signs of her son, Demonie Mason, 5, regressing at age 2. Until 2 years old, he was hitting all of his milestones and was ahead in some areas, she said. But then his condition started to change. “At 2 years old, he started to lose all of the things he had learned,” said Mason, a staff sergeant and Airman Leadership School instructor at Shaw
Air Force Base. “He wouldn’t really speak anymore; he started getting really frustrated. He would hit himself out of frustration and throw himself around on the floor. He struggled with eye contact,” she said. “That’s when I knew something was off.” After visiting a pediatrician and filling out a questionnaire on her son’s health, she noticed that he had all the signs of autism. April is National Autism Awareness Month. Autism spectrum disorder and au-
One of men charged in Frazier St. shoot pleads guilty BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com Henry Dingle, one of seven men arrested for a December 2015 shootout on Frazier Street, plead guilty to the charges against him on Friday and was sentenced to 18-and-a-half-years in prison. The 21-year-old was in one of two vehicles that collided, reportedly on purpose, according to Sumter Police
Department, before the shootout on Dec. 29 last year. No one was reported injured during the incident. Assistant Third Judicial District Solicitor DINGLE Bronwyn McElveen said law enforcement thinks the incident happened because of a dispute about drugs. Dingle was charged with attempted
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murder for his involvement in the shooting. The other men who were arrested are charged with attempted murder, unlawful possession of a handgun and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. McElveen said Dingle also faced drug charges for distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine, his third offense, from a previous arrest. She said Third Circuit Solicitor Ernest “Chip” Finney III prioritizes
Joan Brunson Gene A. Slater Calvin Oaks Sr. Mary A. Dozier James E. Green
Wayne Demery Wilhelmena T. Smith Terry M. Pearson Freddie Faison Mary Frances R. Ivey
prosecuting individuals based on the number of serious charges they face. She said Dingle had too many charges against him for the solicitor’s office to wait any longer to take action. Dingle plead guilty to the charges as the solicitor’s office prepared to take the case to trial, McElveen said Third Circuit Court Judge George C.
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INSIDE
WARM AND STORMY
3 SECTIONS, 22 PAGES VOL. 121, NO. 163
Quite warm today and mostly sunny with spotty thunderstorms possible; warm tonight with building clouds. HIGH 86, LOW 66
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