October 21, 2016

Page 1

IN SPORTS: Sumter travels to face Conway, both unbeaten in region play B1 Put all Storm Debris on curb for PICK-UP by FEMA Contractors. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2016

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Police offer reward for suspect Clarendon Concerns for public safety prompt $7.5K plea for information BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com Sumter law enforcement is offering a $7,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of Dontrell Carter, who escaped into the woods near Dalzell on Sept. 18 after allegedly firing shots at pursuing officers using a high-powered weapon. Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark III said offering a reward is an unKEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM usual step, but he has concerns for Sumter Police Chief Russell Roark III talks about the public safety because of Carter’s procontinuing hunt for Dontrell Carter, who led officers pensity to use high-powered weapons on a chase before crashing his car and firing at and statements Carter has reportedthem. A cash reward is now being offered for infor- ly made to police sources vowing to continue to violently resist arrest. mation leading to his arrest.

“He is a danger to the community and law enforcement at large,” Roark said. He said police have also received reports Carter has obtained a weapon similar to the 6.62 mm rifle he allegedly used to fire at officers. The case began more than a month ago with a domestic violence situation, during which Carter allegedly fired several shots at a home before driving away. A few minutes later, Carter’s vehicle was spotted on U.S. 521 near Dalzell, where Sumter Sheriff’s Office deputies joined Sumter Police

SEE REWARD, PAGE A4

How sweet it is! 225 jobs on the way

TASTY FACTS: Local hiring process: Begins 1st Quarter, 2017 Production schedule: Expected end of 1st Quarter, 2017. Fully operational in 2019. New jobs when fully operational: 225 KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM

Mount Franklin Foods brought an assortment of its products to Sumter Opera House on Thursday for the announcement of the start of operations in the former Au’some candy facility in Live Oak Industrial Park in Sumter next year.

Mount Franklin Foods to begin hiring locally early next year BY BRUCE MILLS bruce@theitem.com Taking a challenging circumstance and turning it into an economic development win best describes the process that eventually led to the announcement Thursday of 225 new jobs coming to Sumter. Mount Franklin Foods, a North American manufacturer of high-quality candy and nut products, will be launching operations here

next year after company President and CEO Gary Ricco made the announcement at Sumter Opera House to a crowd full of Sumter business people and local government and elected officials. In August, Mount Frank-

lin Foods had planned to pick up equipment that it had purchased from the former Au’some candy plant that closed in March and take it back to its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Then, in short time, local and state economic development officials and others convinced them to stay in the existing facility in the Live Oak Industrial Park. “Our local team worked quickly and convinced Mount Franklin Foods that

Sumter was not only an option, but the best option,” Sumter Development Board Chairman Greg Thompson said Thursday at the ceremony. “We were told initially, before they visited, that the odds of them locating in Sumter were very low,” Thompson said. “We asked for one chance. At the end of the second day of negotiations here, we were told that

SEE CANDY, PAGE A4

Jury deliberating in club shooting trial BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com The murder trial for Muttaqin Abdullah will continue at 9 a.m. today at Sumter County Judicial Center as the jury resumes its deliberation that started shortly after 11 a.m. on Thursday. Before the trial that started on Monday, Abdullah was serving a life sentence under the federal three-strikes

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statute that requires anyone convicted of three felony charges to serve a life sentence. One of Abdullah’s prior felony convictions, distribution of crack cocaine, is no longer considered a violent crime so his life-sentence is no longer valid. According to information previously provided by Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, federal authorities charged Abdullah with the third felony to ensure he served a life-sentence after the

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shooting death of David Way and the injury of Marrell McBride outside of Club Lion Pitt on March 14, 2004. He now faces a murder charge, assault and battery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Abdullah is representing himself during the trial, and the prosecution is lead by Third Judicial Circuit Solicitor Ernest “Chip” Finney III. Third Circuit Judge D. Craig Brown is presiding over the trial.

DEATHS, B6 Louise M. McCathern Ronald L. Sanders Sr. Rev. Dr. C. Richburg Jr. Beulah M. Parson Louise C. Brown Ollie Mae McBride

Benjamin M. Morris James Washington Sr. Ernest Filmore Mamie L. Matthew Mary H. Pringle

now eligible for FEMA assistance BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com

Clarendon County residents affected by Hurricane Matthew are now eligible to apply for individual assistance through Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA approved funding for Clarendon and three other counties on Wednesday evening. Assistance can include money for temporary rental assistance and essential home repairs for primary homes, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help survivors recover from the effects of the disaster, according to a news release from the agency. About 245 buildings in the county sustained some type of structural damage as a result of the storm, totaling about $5.5 million in damage, said Clarendon County Administrator David Epperson. Epperson said he did not have a breakdown of how many of those structural damages were major. Additionally, the county sustained an estimated $400,000 in damage to its public infrastructure, mainly damaged roads, he said. Last week, the county was approved for the Public Assistance Program, in which state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for federal funding on a cost-sharing basis, Epperson said. FEMA will reimburse as much as 75 percent of the approved costs for debris removal and emergency services related to the storm. Additionally, county residents who became unemployed as a direct result of Hurricane Matthew may now be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits, according to an announcement made by the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce on Tuesday. The Disaster Unemployment Assistance program also is available to small business owners and the selfemployed, including contract workers who lost personal income due to the disaster. Individuals wanting to apply for the Disaster Unemployment Assistance, must first apply for regular unemployment insurance benefits. To apply, call 1-866-831-1724 or go to mybenefits.dew.sc. gov. For FEMA disaster assistance, register online at: www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362. Disaster assistance applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call 800-462-7585. Those who use Video Relay Service may call 800-621-3362. The toll-free numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week until further notice.

WEATHER, A10

INSIDE

COOL AND BEAUTIFUL

2 SECTIONS, 20 PAGES VOL. 122, NO. 6

Another mostly sunny day, cooler than recent days with little chance of rain; tonight, clear and chilly. HIGH 79, LOW 48

Classifieds B7 Comics A8 Opinion A9 Television A7


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October 21, 2016 by The Sumter Item - Issuu