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VOL. 119, NO. 11 WWW.THEITEM.COM
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2013 | SUMTER, SOUTH CAROLINA
‘You should be proud to have him as part of your community.’ — Vin Hoover, teammate of 4 years at University of Tampa
Play begins on dedicated Freddie Solomon Field
PHOTOS BY MATT WALSH / THE ITEM
Dee Solomon, wife of the late Freddie Solomon Jr., hands out balloons at the unveiling of a memorial dedicated to the football star on Friday night at Sumter Memorial Stadium. Freddie Solomon Jr. was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams.
Ceremony honors Sumter football star who lost his battle with cancer in 2012 BY DENNIS BRUNSON dennisb@theitem.com
D
elilah “Dee” Solomon never got to see her late husband, Freddie, play a down of football at Sumter Memorial Stadium. On Friday, she was able to see what those who did see Solomon play on that field thought of him, not only as an athlete, but as a man as well. The Sumter Memorial Stadium field was dedicated as Freddie Solomon Field to honor the Sumter High School great during a ceremony prior to SHS’ football game against Carolina Forest. “This was such a humbling event,” Dee said of the ceremony, which began next to the stadium press box where a monument honoring Freddie was unveiled and concluded on the newly dedicated Freddie Solomon Field. “I didn’t meet Freddie until he was in college (at the
ABOVE: Freddie Solomon’s brother, Roger, center and also seen at left, and wife, Dee, right, watch the unveiling of a sign that reads “Freddie Solomon Jr. Field” at Sumter Memorial Stadium on Friday evening. Solomon played for Sumter High School and went on to work with at-risk children.
SEE FIELD, PAGE A7
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BY JIM HILLEY Special to the Item Phoenix Charter High School in Clarendon District 2 will stay open after reaching its necessary enrollment target on Oct. 22, Principal Elease Fulton said. “We did well; we had 50 students on that date,” she said. South Carolina public school funding is determined using calculations based on the number of students attending school on the 45th day of the academic year, which this year fell on Oct. 22. If Phoenix had failed to make the target, it may not have received adequate funding to stay open. District superintendent John Tindal told The Item the school would need to
have at least 50 students enrolled on the target date. During the past three weeks, the school had been pushing hard to recruit students, starting the month with only about half the students needed to remain open. More students began attending the school daily, however, pushing Phoenix over its target. “We will be able to stay open,” Fulton said. “The issue is settled for now, and everything is a go.” The school’s low enrollment numbers are partially because of Phoenix’s success at graduating students, Fulton said earlier. “We got the number which will financially allow us to stay SEE PHOENIX, PAGE A8
Police capture suspect accused in violent acts BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com Investigators with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office have been searching for O’Brian Anthony Spann for weeks after receiving repeated reports of violent acts against his exgirlfriend, but the 27-yearold eluded arrest SPANN until Thursday. Deputies located Spann, whose listed address is 2340 Kolb Road, inside a wooded area on St. Pauls Church Road at 1:15 p.m. and apprehended him after a short foot chase. They reportedly found a gram of crack cocaine in Spann’s pocket, adding drug possession to a list of other charges he faces: criminal domestic violence of a high
and aggravated nature, kidnapping, grand larceny, malicious injury to personal property and failure to stop for blue lights. The most serious charges against Spann regard an incident that occurred on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 8, when Spann reportedly kidnapped a 28-year-old woman and her three children on the way to school. Spann reportedly appeared outside the woman’s home in the 4600 block of Wrangler Trail and forced his way inside the home, then threatened the woman with a kitchen knife. Spann reportedly cut her on the knuckle of her left hand and beat her while threatening to burn the house down, then forced her and the children — ages 3, 6 and 9 — SEE SPANN, PAGE A8
INSIDE 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES
Sunny and nice this afternoon; clear and chilly tonight HIGH: 60 LOW: 40 A7
60 CENTS
School survives attendance hurdle to keep funding
OUTSIDE SUNNY SATURDAY
DEATHS
20 N. Magnolia St. Sumter, SC 29150 (USPS 525-900)
FOUNDED OCTOBER 15, 1894
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