FORGET BEING FRIENDLY: You shouldn’t be so nice when he’s so dirty B7
Bust out your Wonderbra THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2014
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Sumter students bring in big bucks
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Check out this brief history of lingerie A3
Pearson Road shooting leaves 1 dead, 2 injured
$25M in scholarships earned by graduates BY RAYTEVIA EVANS revans@theitem.com (803) 774-1214 Sumter School District graduates have crossed the stage and received their diplomas for their accomplishments — completing a huge milestone in every teenager’s life. Collectively, the students didn’t just graduate high school, but they also racked up quite a lot of money in scholarships for higher education. At Monday’s school board meeting, SuperBAKER intendent Frank Baker announced that the school district’s 2014 graduates won more than $25 million in merit-based scholarships. “I want to commend the students, and we look forward to great things from this talented group in the future,” Baker said. This year, Sumter School District graduated 1,005 seniors, including 234 students from Crestwood High School, 245 seniors at Lakewood High School and 526 students at Sumter High School. In addition to the graduates’ success in receiving scholarships, the district as a whole made strides in collecting and raising monetary donations for charitable and nonprofit organizations. Each year the district participates in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, and during the 2013-14 academic year, every school in the district, the district office, the career center and adult education had teams raising money for the charity. Baker said they still have money coming in, but the district’s effort as of the most recent school board meeting has netted about $65,408.62 for Relay for Life. Pocalla Springs Elementary
SEE STUDENTS, PAGE A8
MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM
A woman collapses in tears during an interview conducted by Sumter County Sheriff’s Office investigator Sgt. Tripp Mays near a home on Blackberry Lane on Wednesday. The Pinewood area home is where authorities ultimately found 18-year-old Charles Gary Singletary III after an early morning hunt for the man suspected of killing Joshua Brown, who suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Singletary’s sister, who police think helped him leave the scene of the crime, alerted law enforcement to his location.
‘Childhood friend’ reportedly pulls trigger, manhunt ensues BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com (803) 774-1225
stable but critical condition. A third victim, Margaret Charles, who is Hodge’s mother, suffered a severe laceration to her ear during the alOne man is dead and another in criti- tercation, but investigators were unclear as to whether the wound was incal condition after both suffered gunflicted by a gunshot or shot wounds to the head, reportedly at some other sharp object. the hands of a childhood friend, early Both Brown and Hodge Wednesday morning. had reportedly been After a four-hour manhunt, Charles friends with Singletary Gary Singletary III, 18, was located at a since early childhood. Blackberry Lane residence near Pine“During our investigawood where he was arrested and charged with one count each of murSINGLETARY tion, it was revealed that the suspect and the two der, attempted murder and aggravated victims that received gunshot wounds assault in connection to a shooting on to the head attended school here togethPearson Road. er at Lakewood High School,” said One of the victims, Joshua Brown, Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Denwas found at the crime scene with a nis. “They were childhood friends, and gunshot wound to the head. He was later pronounced dead at Tuomey Re- Singletary had stayed at the victims’ house on multiple occasions in the gional Medical Center. Another victim, Timothy Hodge, was also found at past.” According to Dennis, who spoke at a the scene suffering from a gunshot press conference at the sheriff’s office wound to the head and, according to investigators, bleeding profusely from on North Main Street on Wednesday morning, officers responded to 203 the injury. He was taken to Palmetto Health Richland, where he is listed in Pearson Road about 5:15 a.m. Wednes-
day morning in reference to a shooting. When they arrived, they found two victims had suffered gunshot wounds to the head and a third who had suffered a laceration to her ear. According to Dennis, Charles told investigators she was asleep at the residence when she heard a loud noise shortly before 5 a.m. that morning. When she got up to investigate, she said she found the suspect wrestling with her son, who was bleeding from a head injury. Charles then reportedly got involved in the altercation, during which her ear was cut. Singletary then reportedly ran into a nearby room, and by the time Charles and Hodge gained entry to the room, Singletary had escaped through a window and reportedly fled the scene. In that same room, Hodge and his mother reportedly found Joshua Brown lying on a bed, thought to be killed by a gunshot wound to his head. A small-caliber handgun was found at the crime scene, according to Dennis,
SEE SHOOTING, PAGE A8
Give ’em enough rope and ... They will rule the world in Double Dutch BY IVY MOORE ivym@theitem.com (803) 774-1221
SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTOS
A Japanese Double Dutch team competes in last year’s World Invitational Championship tournament. The 41st annual competition will be held at the Sumter County Civic Center beginning at 9 a.m. Friday with the elimination tournament. Admission is free all day Friday and Saturday.
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Area residents can watch Double Dutch champions from around the world compete at Sumter County Civic Center on Friday and Saturday, when the American Double Dutch League sponsors its 41st World Invitational Championship. More than 100,000 jumpers competed in preliminaries in
DEATHS, B5 Don Dixon Bridget J. Schaffer Elizabeth H. Stokes Harry L. Bradley Robert Wilson
Lila Mae Welsh Sarah McBride Dorothy Mae Green Bertha F. Blanding Claude Singleton Jr.
countries as far away as France and Japan for the right to come to Sumter. In fact, Sumter’s Jean Ford, chairwoman of the American Double Dutch League’s Governing Board, said six teams from Japan will compete, and they’re under double pressure. “Last year, one of their teams got out-jumped by a team from New York,” she said, “and they’re out to win back their record.”
In addition, a Japanese news crew is coming to document the competition. Besides New York, teams from several other states, Canada, France and the Virgin Islands are expected to compete. Double Dutch, in which two players turn two long jump ropes in opposite directions as one or more players jump them, likely originated in ancient
SEE DOUBLE DUTCH, PAGE A8
WEATHER, A10
INSIDE
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2 SECTIONS, 18 PAGES VOL. 119, NO. 204
We’re going to get some storms today and tonight HIGH 86, LOW 67
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