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Rivalry renewed Crestwood looks to make it 7 straight against Sumter B1 SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894
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Man gets 60 years in attempted murders BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com (803) 774-1211 Trevaughn Ziontae Jackson, 20, has been sentenced to 60 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of two counts of attempted murder in the 2013 shooting of a 20-year-old man and a 52-yearold woman. Third Judicial District Circuit Judge Jeffrey Young handed down the ruling Wednesday at the Sumter
County Judicial Center. Jackson was also found guilty of possession of a weapon during a violent crime and firing into a dwelling, and he had an earlier conviction of receiving stolen goods valued at JACKSON less than $2,000 and had also been arrested for first-degree burglary. “He was found guilty of all four of the charges that we
went forward on,” said Third Judicial District Solicitor Ernest “Chip” Finney III. In September 2013, Jackson was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder after the incident earlier that month in which the two victims were shot at a home in the 1000 block of Dibert Street. At the time of the shooting, police said they thought an altercation between the male victim and others, including Jackson, had led to the shooting. Both victims were shot in
their upper torsos and were taken to Tuomey Regional Medical Center before being transported to Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia. Finney said the 52-year-old woman was left with a permanent impairment from the shooting, and the 20-year-old man will likely carry the bullet in his body for the rest of his life because it’s in a location that prevents it from being removed. Finney said the testimony of the two gunshot victims
was key to the successful prosecution of Jackson. “I am very proud of the victims because there were allegations that people were being contacted to change testimony and things like that,” he said. “They stuck to their guns and came to court and told the jury what happened. Because of that, we were successfully able to prosecute the guy.” Jackson was defended by Public Defender Tiffany Jackson, who could not be reached for comment.
FULLY involved Duggan retires from PD to focus on fire service BY JADE REYNOLDS jade@theitem.com (803) 774-1250
I
f you’ve been around Sumter long, you’ve met Joey Duggan.
The 45-year-old has played Santa Claus for various functions and participated in Sumter’s Dancing with the Stars. He’s been involved in area schools and downtown events such as 4th Fridays. But Duggan may best be known for his public safety roles as police officer and fireman. “In the early ’90s, we were approached about cross training as public safety officers with the city,” he said. “With the way our shifts work — 24 hours on and 48 hours off — it made sense that we could fill in gaps. It was a bumpy road. Some firefighters didn’t like being police officers, (but) a few hung in there through the transition. Several firefighters enjoyed law enforcement so much, they left their careers in the fire service to join law en-
forcement full time.” But Duggan’s first career choice has always been firefighting. On Friday, Duggan turned in his badge and gun, and on Tuesday he will become the leader of Sumter Fire Department’s training division. “It’s bittersweet,” he said. “I’ve been blessed to serve the citizens of Sumter, (and) I’ve had a wonderful experience. I have a lot of good memories. I’ve had a good career over there. I cannot say anything negative about my career in law enforcement.”
Joey Duggan helps fight a fire earlier this year in Sumter. Duggan has taken a full-time administrative role after hanging up his police cap. SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTOS
BUMP AND RUN, DADDY AND SON For nearly 21 years, Duggan has donned his police cap. He first worked in the Community Oriented Policing program known as COPS. “I was on bike patrol, and I tried horse patrol,” Duggan said. “Then I was thrown off, and I said, ‘the heck with this.’” But he spent the majority of his time in the warrants division, which is where he first met Staff Sgt. Gerald Richardson.
“Our nicknames were ‘Bump and Run,’” Richardson said. “Joey is kind of a stocky guy, and I’m tall and slender. We had a few (suspects) run, so I would run them down, and he would use his strength and his bulk to hold them down.” This was typical of working with Duggan, Richardson said.
“It was a blast,” Richardson said. “You know, he’s a funny guy. He kind of keeps it lively. Very seldom do you see him down. He doesn’t have that kind of spirit about him. But he still gets the job done. He can get serious when it comes to work, (and) he had a knack that I don’t care how serious
the situation was, his attitude really calmed a lot of the people we dealt with down.” Duggan also garnered the nickname “Son” while working warrants. “There was a Truman Duggin, so I’d answer the phone, ‘Warrants. This is Duggan,’ and he’d answer the phone, ‘Warrants. This is Duggin,’” Joey Duggan said. “So it got where our regulars would ask, ‘Is this Daddy or Son?’ He was ‘Daddy,’ and I was ‘Son.’” Duggan did a three-year stint in recruiting and then moved to the crime-prevention unit.
SEE DUGGAN, PAGE A3
Donate blood, vote for your favorite first responders BY JADE REYNOLDS jade@theitem.com (803) 774-1250 With competition and a good cause, it’s no surprise the Battle of the Badges has done so well. “It’s been a real success,” said Joey Duggan, chairman for the annual blood drive. “The community has been very, very gracious in wanting to support public safety entities.” You vote for your favorite
first responders — Sumter Police Department, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Sumter Fire Department, Sumter County Emergency Medical Services or Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center — by donating a pint. The drive runs Monday through Friday. On the first four days of the week, it will be held at Sumter Donation Center, 1155 N. Guignard Drive, which is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 5
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p.m. Thursday. On Friday, the American Red Cross will be set up at the main branch of the Sumter County Library, 111 N. Harvin St., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fire department has won the contest the last two years, and last year, the drive collected 157 units of blood, said Tonyia McGirt, public information officer for Sumter Police Department. “Considering each pint can help save up to three lives — that’s nearly 480 lives poten-
Helen Propst Susan W. Smith Jay Hodge Emma Epps Fannie Harris
Emma P. Wright Arlena W. Spann James H. Lonon Junior A. Washington
tially impacted,” said Krystal Overmyer, external communications manager for the Red Cross’ biomedical field marketing and communications. “Historically, Labor Day and the period after Labor Day is a challenging time for the Red Cross because so many people are busy with special plans and travel. But patients don’t get a holiday from needing blood. We are incredibly grateful for the support from Sumter first responders and the entire Sumter community for
this blood drive because it truly makes a difference to patients here in South Carolina.” Sumter’s EMS director knows all about this need. “Blood makes a difference in people’s lives,” Bobby Hingst said. “We see that every day when we’re taking care of patients. We participate every year. It’s a fun, friendly competition among public service appointments, and it’s a way for us to give
SEE DRIVE, PAGE A7
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