D-Day
70th anniversary Read more about the invasion of Normandy from Ernie Pyle A9
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BAD BEHAVIOR: When not knowing your father is not an excuse
Crossing guard celebrates 25 years
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Shooting suspects arrested Teen turns himself in after video’s release; fugitive on wanted list also in custody BY ROB COTTINGHAM AND BRADEN BUNCH rcottingham@theitem.com; bbunch@theitem.com (803) 774-1225; (803) 774-1201
while helping children cross Miller Road every school day. Truett works two shifts a day — one beginning at 7:45 a.m. and the other at 2:20 p.m. — and she said the old-time crossing guard hat was given to her years ago. Truett is as well-loved by Alice Drive Elementary staff as she is by the children who rely on her daily guidance. Sheree Boozer has been the principal at the
Two shooting suspects wanted in separate high-profile cases are now in custody after turning themselves in to law enforcement Thursday. Travis Santell Miller, 25, of 25 Harrison St., who was named to the Sumter County Top 10 Wanted list and described as “armed and dangerous” during his more than two weeks as a fugitive, turned himself in to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday evening. Miller was wanted on an atDINGLE tempted murder charge after allegedly shooting a 20-year-old man at a Manning Avenue convenience store on May 20. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Dominik Dingle, of 117 King St., wanted in connection with a King Street shooting caught on video earlier this MILLER week, was arrested earlier in the day, less than 48 hours after the Sumter Police Department released video footage. Released on Tuesday, the King Street footage was provided by Dingle’s mother, who reportedly gave consent to law enforcement to download the video from her home security system. After reviewing the film, which showed a young man running into the roadway with a black pistol in his hands and apparently firing at a dark blue SUV, investigators determined Dingle was the primary suspect and issued a warrant for his arrest. The man seen firing in the video is seen returning to the roadway shortly after running from the camera’s range, reaching down and collecting several small items that appear to be shell casings from the pavement. He then disappears from the frame, only to return to the roadway and apparently drop the items into a nearby storm drain. The video went viral throughout the Internet, capturing the attention of the community and eventually landing in the national media spotlight. With law enforcement searching for the suspect, Dingle’s mother reportedly encouraged her young son to turn himself in to authorities. Dingle followed through, arriving at Sumter Law Enforcement Center on Hampton Street shortly after noon Thursday. In his case, Miller, who had spoken with investigators with the sheriff’s office two weeks ago,
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PHOTO PROVIDED
Terrayne Truett holds up a stop sign at the intersection of Alice Drive and Miller Road recently as a child is guided across the street by an adult. Truett celebrates 25 years as a crossing guard this year.
Familiar face will be back at Alice Drive Elementary next year BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com (803) 774-1225 As children across the state finish their school years and begin enjoying their summer freedom, a local crossing guard has her own reason to celebrate. Terrayne Truett completed her 25th year as a crossing guard Thursday, 15 of which were spent at Alice Drive Elementary School helping little
ones cross busy roads. “I just picked it up,” Truett said about how she first became a crossing guard. “The Lord must’ve been with me I guess.” The 65-year-old, who spent her first 10 years as a crossing guard in Georgia, isn’t stopping at 25 years; she plans on returning to her usual post next year. While many might not know her by name, people around town know her for the unmistakable — and trademark — hat she wears
Sumter police will pay tribute to those who served on D-Day BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com (803) 774-1225 On this day 70 years ago, a mass of soldiers larger than any seen before stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, and forever changed the course of time. Along with the attack on
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Pearl Harbor and the use of atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, D-Day was one of the most defining moments of America’s involvement in World War II, shifting the balance to Allied forces and jump-starting the end of the Nazi regime. Today, Sumter Police Department will be paying a spe-
cial tribute to those who fought and served on D-Day. “Given the history of Shaw Air Force Base and USARCENT, the many veterans who serve, live and have retired in the Sumter area and the relationships forged between these individuals and the city over the years, it is only fitting that the police department remem-
DEATHS, B7 Delphine A. Hilborn Sidney L. Christian Ester Mae B. James Hessie Ann Martin James R. Long
Lillian Ann McBride Gala L. Corcoran Barbara G. Moorer Carrie E. Drakeford
bers our military community on this milestone anniversary,” said Sumter Police Chief Russell F. Roark III. At the intersection of Broad Street and U.S. 521, near Chick-fil-A, officers with the department will stand in tribute to D-Day and all veterans. To further express its gratitude, the department has also
designed billboards featuring Buford Mabry Park to honor the occasion, one located off U.S. 378 near Shaw Air Force Base and another located off Pinewood Road near Second Mill Plaza. A Sumter County native, Mabry served as a general in
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