May 21, 2012

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Tanning salon employee arrested for peeping on customers

May 10, 2012 By

An employee at a Sumter tanning salon was arrested for peeping on women while they were using the salon’s tanning beds.

Sumter Police said they took 19-year-old Robert Glenn Rodgers Jr. of Mayesville into custody after two women accused him of photographing them while they were finishing their sessions at The Beach Tanning Salon.

Investigators said a 31-year-old woman told them she saw a camera or cell phone up on the divider between the tanning bed she was using and the main lobby where Rodgers was working. One of the woman’s friends said she saw Rodgers standing near the area where the camera was sitting.

Another 41-year-old woman told police that she thought she was being photographed on a different day.

Rodger’s is being charged with two counts of voyeurism.

South Carolina Radio Network’s Tripp Girardeau contributed to this report.

Filed Under: Business, Crime & Courts, News

Law enforcement officials seize Norway mayor’s car

May 10, 2012 By

The mayor of the Orangeburg County town of Norway is without the official vehicle he has been using.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety seized the vehicle and gave it to the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department. The Dodge Charger, bullet-proof vest, pistol and taser were purchased by the town in 2009 through a law enforcement grant with the U.S. Justice Department. They were to be used for criminal justice purposes.

Norway has been without a police department since August 2011. That’s when former mayor Cindy Williams sent a letter to the state’s criminal justice academy stating that Norway disbanded its police force because the town couldn’t afford the officers. Preacher, who had been the town’s former police chief, kept the vehicle and other equipment.

In January, he was appointed town constable just days after taking the oath of office as mayor. But he resigned the constable position amid a State Law Enforcement Division investigation into an incident where he pulled over a state trooper for speeding. He was later arrested for his actions during that traffic stop. A trial date has not been set.

Public Safety officials say that, if Norway re-establishes a law enforcement agency, the vehicle and other equipment will be returned.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Featured, News

Inmate found dead at Berkeley County jail

May 9, 2012 By

An inmate found dead at the Hill-Finklea Detention Facility in Berkeley County has now been identified.

Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dan Moon says the dead inmate was 32-year-old Jason Stout of Moncks Corner. Stout’s body was found around 10:30 Wednesday morning.

He was behind bars for family court bench warrants. Both the sheriff’s office and the State Law Enforcement Division are investigating.  An autopsy is also being conducted.

Sheree Bernardi of Charleston affiliate WTMA contributed to this report.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, News

Man arrested for killing cyclist in Charleston hit-and-run accident

May 9, 2012 By

A man wanted for a deadly hit-and-run accident involving a cyclist in the Charleston area is now in custody.

Investigators say they have arrested 32-year-old Jason Frank Marion of Summerville in connection to a deadly crash early Friday morning that killed the cyclist. Charleston Police say Marion is charged with leaving the scene of a collision that resulted in death. Officials say Marion surrendered to authorities Tuesday afternoon and is scheduled for a bond hearing Wednesday.

The coroner’s office says 51-year-old Gerard Nieto of Charleston died at the scene. The accident happened along Savannah Highway near White Oak Drive just before 1:30 a.m. Officers say both Nieto and Marion were traveling south at the time of the incident.

Filed Under: Accidents & Disasters, Crime & Courts, News, Transportation

Lawmakers look to toughen new copper theft laws

May 8, 2012 By

In an effort to stop out-of-control copper theft in the state, the South Carolina House of Representatives voted unanimously Tuesday to put more restrictions on people who buy and sell the metal.

Rep. Todd Rutherford (D-Columbia) Courtesy: SCETV

Last year, lawmakers required a person or business to get a permit before selling copper. The 2011 law also does not allow a recycler to pay for copper with cash. Supporters say the changes were needed to stop thieves from stealing copper from air conditioning units and catalytic converters and selling it to make quick money.

However, lawmakers say some recyclers are getting around the law by writing a check, then cashing it on the spot. “We thought we had fixed it last year,” Rep. Todd Rutherford (D-Columbia) said on the House floor, “The problem is that metals now are so valuable that they are finding ways to allow people to steal. They know it goes on and they allow it because it brings in business.”

Under an amendment passed Wednesday, secondary metals recyclers would no longer be able to either cash a check or offer an ATM card as an alternative method of payment.

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Filed Under: Business, Crime & Courts, Featured, Legislature, News
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