May 4, 2014

Page 1

SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894

$1.50

SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2014

Hundreds paint the town in Sumter 360 Color 5K

A6

Buried by time, lost to all Woman

killed in hammer assault 2 others hurt in attack; local man charged BY BRADEN BUNCH bbunch@theitem.com (803) 774-1201 MATT WALSH / THE SUMTER ITEM

The cold stone, itself, even features the phrase, “Gone, but not forgotten,” an adage unheard for more than a century. “We didn’t really live up to that, did we?” asked Barron Hite rhetorically. “Somehow, we did forget about him. We can do so much better.” Hite, crime prevention coordinator for Sumter Police Department, was conducting some research for a presentation project recently when she stumbled across the name of a police officer, William Alvah Clyde, who was killed in the line of duty. “I was searching for information on a humanities website when I

The apparent cocaine-induced rage of a 33-year-old Sumter man Saturday morning has left a 44-year-old woman dead, her 14-year-old daughter hospitalized and a wheelchair-bound 46-year-old woman injured in a killing Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis said was one of the most brutal homicides he has ever seen. Deputies arrested Jason Dustin Compton on Saturday morning at the scene of the crime in the 4300 block of Bethel Church Road. ReCOMPTON sponding to calls of an attack, once inside, officers found a woman in the living room, severely bludgeoned about the head, and the apparent assault weapon, a metal hammer, lying near her. The victim, identified as 44-year-old Tracey Koetfler, was transported to Tuomey Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. “To have beaten someone with a hammer in that manner, I don’t like to use the term animal, but that’s what it reminds

SEE CLYDE, PAGE A4

SEE KILLING, PAGE A5

From left, Lt. Don Florence, Crime Prevention Coordinator Barron Hite, Cpl. James Sinkler and Public Information Officer Tonyia McGirt, all of Sumter Police Department, clean the grave of William Alvah Clyde, a Sumter police officer killed in the line of duty in 1908.

Officials uncover forgotten slain officer BY ROB COTTINGHAM rcottingham@theitem.com (803) 774-1225 If you visit Sumter Cemetery, you’ll see hundreds of tombstones. Each is unique in size and shape, bearing the name of a person who had an equally unique story to share. Those tales might be fit for epics or merely suited for a brief summary. Regardless, the individuality of each stone seems lost in a grey-spotted sea of green grass, rendering them equally banal to a passerby. But tucked away beneath the shady, twisting branches of an oak tree is a special tombstone, a small concrete pillar with a name etched

‘Somehow, we did forget about him. We can do so much better. What he did was so brave. He deserves to be remembered.’ BARRON HITE Crime Prevention Coordinator, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office into it that no one was supposed to forget. His efforts were heroic, his story is tragic and his name was supposed to be honored forever.

Public hearing on Sunday alcohol sales set for Tuesday BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com (803) 774-1272 A proposal to allow Sumter businesses to sell alcoholic beverages on Sundays has generated a lot of debate since it was floated to city council late last year. This week, members of the public will have their chance to add their voices to the discussion. At the city council meeting on Tuesday, council will open

VISIT US ONLINE AT

the

.com

the floor to public comments on the issue before second reading of an ordinance that will allow city residents to vote the proposal up or down at the ballot box in November. In favor of the measure are the business community and the Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce, who started circulating petitions on the issue last year. Against are residents who worry about drinking encroaching on their day of rest.

“I know a lot of folks who are against it. A lot of it is from the churches,” said Ferdinand Burns, president of the local branch of the NAACP, who spoke against the proposal when it came up for first reading on April 15. “I’m not there because the NAACP is against it, but because my church family is against it, and I know some other churches are against it.” Mayor Joe McElveen said

DEATHS, A11 Absolum McFadden Jr. John J. Wilson Col. Joann Y. Richardson Janice G. Coleman Maggie S. Brunson

Willie D. Cooper Jr. Anitra Gipson Adrienne Billups Ronald M. Denton

council members tried to craft a balanced approach to the issue that allowed it to pass with a 5-1 vote on first reading. “If it remains limited to restaurants that serve drinks on-premises, I think it will get the same McELVEEN vote,” McElveen said. “But if it allows all businesses and convenience stores to sell alcohol on Sundays,

that might be more than the community is ready for.” Chamber and business leaders spoke out in favor of the measure at a previous council meeting, and sent a letter to the mayor last year on behalf of restaurant owners asking for the proposal to come up for a vote. Chamber President Grier Blackwelder said he would be present during Tuesday’s hearing too, along

SEE ALCOHOL, PAGE A5

WEATHER, A12

INSIDE

GREAT DAY TO BE OUTSIDE

5 SECTIONS, 40 PAGES VOL. 119, NO. 171

Sunny and pleasant throughout the day; clear at night. HIGH 86, LOW 59

Business D1 Classifieds D3 Comics E1

Lotteries A12 Opinion A10 Television E3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.