August 18, 2013

Page 1

Reward!

GREASING THE GEARS Gamecocks, Tigers work out kinks in Saturday scrimmages.

$15,000

For information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for killing Charles Way. Mr. Way was killed in his home on August 18, 2008 in Sumter, SC. Crimestoppers is also offering an additional reward up to $2500.00.

CALL 803-436-2718 OR 1-888-274-6372

ALL CALLS ARE ANONYMOUS!!

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 18, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA

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Group steps forward to become part of Red Cross BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com

BRISTOW MARCHANT / THE ITEM

Disaster instructor Ron Smithwick speaks with a class of potential disaster volunteers at Jehovah Missionary Baptist Church on Thursday about some of the services the Red Cross provides disaster victims, from shelter to food to basic human comfort.

When disaster strikes, victims can lose everything. Homes can be destroyed, possessions lost and potentially whole communities disrupted, even if no lives are lost. When it happens, many people feel like they would want someone, anyone, to show up and help. Hoping to fill that need if and when the moment arrives, about 50 churchgoers and other potential Samaritans filled a meeting room at Jeho-

vah Missionary Baptist Church on Thursday, taking their first step to become trained volunteers for the American Red Cross. The introductory class is the beginning of a partnership between Jehovah and the Sandhills chapter of the Red Cross, which provides emergency preparation and response to residents of Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee and Sumter counties. “A group from the church actually came to us and said ‘we’d like to get involved’,” said

Nancy Cataldo, executive director of the Sandhills chapter, “and this is how you do it.” Thursday’s class is the first step in molding a well-intentioned neighbor into a trained Red Cross volunteer, ready to serve a number of roles in the event of a disaster. The two-hour course featured volunteers and staff members giving an overview of different services the Red Cross provides, from disaster relief and blood drives to health and SEE RED CROSS, PAGE A9

Equine encephalitis Locked in during lockdown up to 30 instances, 5 in tri-county area maintained in nature through a bird-mosquito cycle, according to the The state VeterinariCDC. The mosquitoes an’s Office has now veri- that carry the illness — fied 30 cases of an inprimarily the blacktailed variably fatal horse illmosquito — feed on the ness transmitted by blood of birds. The virus mosquitoes. steadily increases That is twice the throughout the summer amount of cases of as more mosquitoes Eastern equine enceph- feed on more birds and alitis found in South propagate the illness. Carolina horses in 2012, The mosquitoes then according to Dr. Adam spread the illness from C. Eichelberger. He said birds to horses, humans, Friday other ‘It’s a particularly mammals that five dead horsand even virulent illness es in the reptiles tri-county in horses, killing and amarea have phibians. about nine out of tested “It’s a positive particular10 horses who get ly virulent for the illness, illness in the disease.’ which is horses, fatal in killing Dr. Adam C. Eichelberger about nine about one-third out of 10 of human cases. horses who get the disThe Centers for Disease,” Eichelberger said. ease Control has report- “Symptoms in horses ed no human cases of typically develop bethe illness in South Cartween two and five days olina for the current after exposure and inyear. Eichelberger said clude stumbling, cirLee County had its first cling, head pressing, deconfirmed equine case pression or apprehenthis past week. Sumter, sion, weakness of legs, which now has three partial paralysis, the inconfirmed equine cases, ability to stand and was the first muscle twitching.” county to SEE DISEASE, have a horse PAGE A9 test positive this year. Clarendon County has also had one horse die from the disease, which is BY ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com

Officials analyze safety concerns in prisons caped) and for the next seven hours was held hostage inside a cell block designed for “the worst of the worst.” He was beaten, bloodied and forced to change into an inmate’s uniform before a team of 100 state Department of Corrections and State Law Enforcement Division officers used explosives to blow a door off its hinges, storm the unit and rescue the guard. Just three months later, it happened again.

BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com Late on the evening of June 12, 2012, a security officer at Lee Correctional Institution was doing his normal rounds, escorting a nurse through a highsecurity block of the state prison near Bishopville as she handed out medicine to inmates. In an instant, a normal shift became a nightlong ordeal. A door that should have been locked apparently wasn’t. The officer was overpowered by a group of inmates (the nurse es-

SEE PRISONS, PAGE A5

BRISTOW MARCHANT / THE ITEM

ABOVE: S.C. Department of Corrections Director William R. Byars Jr., left, looks over some figures with Corrections Director of Communications Clark Newsom recently at the department headquarters in Columbia. Byars requested more funding for the state’s Level 3 facilities — the maximum security level — after two incidents last year when guards were taken hostage by inmates.

LEFT: Agents attempt to gather situational information during an inmate revolt at Lee Correctional Institution in 2003. Through the past few years, incidents such as these have raised questions about security at several prisons throughout the state.

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OUTSIDE A BIT WARMER

INSIDE 5 SECTIONS, 34 PAGES

Warmer and humid with storms A9

in the area today and tonight. HIGH: 82 LOW: 70 A10

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August 18, 2013 by The Sumter Item - Issuu