A man accused of murdering a 70-year-old Bluffton woman and another elderly South Carolina woman in 2014 has been given four life sentences after pleading Monday in Beaufort County General Sessions Court, the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said.

Jerry Lee Manigault was to face trial this month on murder, criminal sexual conduct and first-degree burglary charges in the May 12, 2014, death of Bluffton resident Polly Ann Mitchell.

Manigault also was charged in Charleston County for the murder of Julia Mudgett, 77, who lived near him in Hollywood and was killed about six days before Mitchell.

Manigault entered a plea to accept four life-without-parole sentences for murder and burglary charges associated with the women’s deaths, the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said. He also received 30 years for sexually assaulting Mitchell and 15 years for the strong-armed robbery of Mudgett.

“I was very glad to give the family of Polly Ann Mitchell at least a small measure of closure in this case,” prosecutor Sean Thornton said in a Solicitor’s Office news release. “And I am glad not only for them, but for all of the citizens of Beaufort County and the 14th and Ninth circuits that Jerry Manigault will die in prison.”

The sentence was delivered by Circuit Court Judge Roger M. Young.

“The defendant preyed on the most vulnerable — elderly women who were home alone,” said Jennifer Kneece Shealy of the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the charges related to Mudgett’s death. “His life sentences protect our community from the terror he inflicted on his victims.”

The agencies involved in the prosecution included both solicitor’s offices, the Bluffton Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service and the Charleston Sheriff’s Office. Forensic evidence was processed by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and State Law Enforcement Division.

“Jerry Lee Manigualt’s prosecution was complex. It involved two solicitor’s offices, five law-enforcement agencies, two forensic labs and evidence collected in three counties,” 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone said. “This was very much a joint prosecution with our office and Solicitor Scarlett Wilson.”

Manigault’s South Carolina criminal record dates to at least 1993 and includes convictions for kidnapping, crack possession, criminal domestic violence, grand larceny, assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, and burglaries.

He was a person of interest in Mudgett’s disappearance and was being sought by the U.S. Marshals Service for failure to register as a sex offender on May 12, 2014, when he was spotted and arrested in Bluffton.

Hours later, a family member discovered Mitchell’s body in her Buck Island home. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled with a television power cord, the release said.

When Manigault was arrested, he had a backpack belonging to Mitchell. His clothing and money he carried in his pocket were stained with Mitchell’s blood, the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said .Manigault was wearing Mitchell’s ring on one of his fingers, and his DNA was found on the power cord used to strangle her. Traces of Manigault’s flesh were removed from beneath Mitchell’s fingernails, the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said.

One witness told authorities he saw Manigault near Mitchell’s house the night before her body was discovered. Others said Manigault, who grew up in Bluffton, had recently returned to the Buck Island Road area and had been trying to sell a maroon Hyundai Elantra.

The car, which belonged to Mudgett, was recovered from Tuten Landing Road in Ridgeland on May 12, 2014. A witness told authorities he abandoned it there a few days after purchasing the vehicle from Manigault.

After Mudgett’s body was discovered in a wooded area near her home, Manigault was charged with her murder as well, the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office said.

The charges in Beaufort County were prosecuted by the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office Career Criminal Unit. It has earned convictions against 40 of its 43 defendants in 2017.

To allow students to have a firsthand look at various careers available upon graduation, Career Day was held a Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School last week.

“Our vision is to have all of our students become college and career ready, and since we do not have the funding to take students to all of the businesses around the area, we are fortunate that the businesses send us representatives to speak to the students,” Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School Principal Karen Parker said. “By having the representatives visit our students, it is very beneficial to both the businesses and the students.”

Career Day is the kickoff event at the school for November, which has been designated as National Career Development Month.

“Students stay in one classroom and then the presenters rotate around to different rooms to do presentations to the students,” RHHS Director of Guidance Cheryl Dopson said. “We had school queens and also ROTC students who facilitated the events and helped presenters get to their correct locations.”

Presenters included the United States Marines, Alpha Genesis, Beaufort-Jasper Comprehensive Health and others. Many presenters were recent graduates of Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School.

Isabel Noriega, a senior at RHHS, plans to be a pediatric nurse. She said she’s considering several colleges to attend after graduating.

“I was able to speak to someone who was already a pediatric nurse and that helped me learn more about the profession even before I go to college,” she said. “I think career day will help students because they actually speak with someone who is already in a career they are interested in.”

Jared Riley, a senior, wants to attend South Carolina State and major in physical education and coaching. He heard from a different speaker who was a counselor for youth in the area.

“I think this is good for all of the kids to be able to see people who already work in the places they want to go,” he said. “I enjoyed our speakers and I love to help people, so it was good to hear from them.”

The Oct. 28 hayride accident in Ridgeland that sent seven people to area hospitals remained under investigation Monday, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Matt Southern.

Southern said the accident happened around 8:03 p.m. on Tarboro Road when a pickup truck struck the rear of a trailer being pulled by a tractor. The driver of the pickup truck was identified as Brandon Davis, 19, of Ridgeland, and the driver of the tractor pulling the trailer was Hiram Lowther, Southern said. He said neither Davis or Lowther were taken to the hospital following the accident.

Alcohol is not suspected as a factor in the crash with either driver. No charges had been filed as of Monday, Southern said.

All seven people taken to the hospital were teenagers, Southern said. He said six other people were involved in the accident but were not taken to the hospital.

One of the teens who was transported to Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville and immediately taken to Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah because of injuries sustained in the accident was released from the hospital, according to a family member.

Brittany Sanchez Cormack, aunt of Hunter Sanchez, a 15-year old from Hardeeville who sustained severe head injuries in the crash, told the Jasper County Sun Times that Hunter was released from the hospital last Tuesday. He is a sophomore at Legacy Christian Academy in Ridgeland.

“Hunter was released, but he now faces at least six weeks of recovery,” Cormack said. “We are very appreciative of the outpouring of love and support we have received and we are continuing to pray for all that were involved.”

Cormack said Hunter was sitting between two of his friends on the back of the trailer where the ramps are located at the time of the accident. Hunter could not recall the entire accident, Cormack said, but he remembered some details.

“The last thing he remembers is that he was sitting next to his friends and turning out of Nimmer Turf,” Cormack said. “After that, as soon as he came to he was a little confused and he could only remember that a police officer was asking him questions, but he did know how to get in touch with his mom.”

Cormack said Hunter told them he had just started talking to another friend when the crash happened. Hunter, she said, was sitting near Talon and Tristan Horry, the other two boys who were seriously injured.

“He was thrown into the ramp and it knocked him unconscious for a few minutes,” she said. “He had skull and face fractures and a broken jaw. One side of his face was unrecognizable after the accident; he had a broken jaw on both sides.”

Cormack said Hunter had surgery on his jaw and has to have his jaw wired shut for six weeks. She said Hunter and the driver of the pickup truck are former classmates.

“We hold nothing against him,” she said. “He’s a former classmate of Hunter’s and he’s been to see Hunter in the hospital. We realize this was just an accident and unfortunately accidents do happen.”

Both brothers involved in the accident, Tristan and Talon Horry, are out of the hospital, with Tristan being the last to be released, according to their mother, LaTesha Lowther Horry.

“Tristan came home Sunday,” she told the Jasper County Sun Times on Monday. “He’s happy to be home, but stays in a lot of pain.”

Family member Carolyn Lowther Brown said last week Tristan was riding on the inside of the trailer in the back of where the ramps were folded up on the trailer.

“Tristan was on the back and took the blow,” she said. “The ramps hit him and lacerated his liver and spleen; he was thrown over 20 feet from the trailer upon impact. Talon was also thrown from the trailer from where he had been sitting.”

Fund established

Brown established the Horry/Lowther Hayride Fund at South State Bank to help with expenses for the family.

South State Bank’s Ridgeland site is located on 10671 South Jacob Smart Blvd. The Hardeeville site is located at 21979 Whyte Hardee Blvd.

Other donations are being accepted for all of the other families affected by the accident. Anyone wishing to drop off a donation can do so at the front office of Thomas Heyward Academy. Donations have exceeded $2,500, according to Alicia Crosby, coordinator of the fundraising effort.

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office has offered to provide deputies to escort those who plan to hold hayrides. Contact the JCSO at 843-726-7777 and ask for Debra or Brittany.

Beautiful wreaths will adorn the graves of the veterans in Jasper County for a nationwide ceremony Dec. 16.

Ridgeland Cemetery has joined the effort to support the mission to remember, honor and teach as an official Wreaths Across America location for 2017.

This is the first year the cemetery will participate in the national event.

“This recognition that our veterans deserve is long overdue,” coroner Martin Sauls of Sauls Funeral Home said. “A lot of people don’t realize just how many men and women served in World War II and the military in Jasper County. When you see all of these wreaths in the Ridgeland Cemetery it will give you a sense of pride and thankfulness to all that served.”

Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992.

Mary Wallace Berry, coordinator for the Ridgeland initiative, said the ceremony is not to recognize just those we’ve lost, but also those who have served or are serving our country.

To be eligible for a cemetery to participate, an application is required and a ceremony must be held; there must be a coordinator; and seven wreaths must be presented during a ceremony representing each branch of service.

In conjunction with the 2017 National Remembrance Ceremony, a free ceremony open to the public will be held at the Ridgeland Cemetery on Dec. 16 at noon. The program allows those interested to purchase a wreath ahead of the ceremony that will be placed on the graves of all veterans.

“Those who served and even those who have served or are currently serving need to be recognized,” Berry said.

Berry said the response from the public has been great, with all veterans’ graves set to have wreaths placed on them. There has been a list of 153 names gathered by several of the committee members who spent time researching the cemetery to locate the veterans buried in it.

Berry said plans are to hold the event each year.

Wreaths are $15 each. To purchase one, send a check payable to Wreaths Across America, 1 Pelot Court, Bluffton, S.C. 29909.

If you have a family member who served that was buried in the Ridgeland Cemetery that might not be on the list, which can be found at jaspersuntimes.com, or if you would like to check the list, contact Berry at mwberry1975@gmail.com.

“There was hay everywhere, debris from the trailer was all over and there were parts of Halloween costumes everywhere.”

That’s how Kevin Owens described the scene in front of his home on Oct. 28 following a horrific hayride crash in Ridgeland involving some of his family members.

Kevin, and his wife Deanne, who live on Tarboro Road, had settled in for the evening and were watching a football game when they heard what sounded like a loud bang, a sound neither will forget.

“I called for help and told 911 about the truck hitting the tractor trailer and that there was just chaos everywhere,” Deanne said. “I didn’t know who was in the wreck; I was frantic on the phone, called and ran out the door.”

Unaware of what she might see, Deanne rushed out the front door to see how she could help.

“When I opened the front door, I knew it was family that was involved in the accident because I recognized the trailer and knew it was the hayride my family had for at least the last three years,” she recalled. “I went to people who needed help.”

Deanne said once she realized who was involved in the wreck, she first checked on her cousin and her cousin’s 8-year-old child. Once she realized they were OK, Deanne had them go into the house to move them away from the scene.

“There was a lot of screaming, yelling and a lot that was unknown,” she said.

The majority of those on the ride were related to the Owenses, Kevin said.

Deanne said she later saw Talon Horry, one of the critically injured boys, face down on the grass and asked him if he was OK. She said Talon told her he thought he had broken his leg. He was later diagnosed with a broken femur.

“We prayed with some of the ones who had been on the trailer, and we prayed for them, we helped in any way we could,” she said. “We kept reassuring those who were hurt that we had called 911 and help was on the way. We did whatever the first responders needed us to do. We wanted to do whatever we could to help.”

Deanne said the scene was dark and there was no way of knowing what they would be walking into. She recalled how much respect she has for those who save lives on a daily basis.

“I’ve always had a deep respect for the first responders and it’s deeper now since I experienced what they do to some extent,” she said. “They never know what they will be facing when going on a call. The sights and sounds from that night are forever etched in my mind.”

Kevin said it was very dark at first and there was no way of being able to see who was involved. He said the sound from the crash made him think someone had been driving and had struck a power pole in their front yard.

“As I got closer, people were scattered everywhere,” Kevin said. “Tristan (Horry, one of the critically injured boys), had been thrown into the road. I went to check on him first but he was unconscious. I saw Deanne was with Talon and I was trying to assess who was hurt the worst. With the majority of those on the trailer being family, it made it even more of a challenge to keep focused, but we knew we had to help them as much as we could.”

Kevin said he later helped the driver of the pickup truck, identified by S.C. Highway Patrol as Brandon Davis, who seemed stunned.

“His airbag had deployed and he was shook up and emotionally trying to deal with what had just happened,” he said. “I was able to take him off to the side, away from all that was happening around him. The man driving the trailer (identified by S.C. Highway Patrol as Hiram Lowther) was also shook up about what had happened.”

Alcohol is not suspected as a factor in the crash with either driver. No charges had been filed as of Monday, according to Matt Southern of S.C. Highway Patrol. Kevin said Ridgeland Fire Chief Bradley Bonds arrived at the scene about a minute after the accident.

“I cannot say enough about how quickly the first responders got to the scene to help, this could have been so much worse,” he said.

Kevin and Deanne said they also visited the hospital to check on all of the injured and stayed with the families in the emergency room following the accident.

“We were glad that we were home and were able to just be there to try and help anyone we could,” Kevin said.

^

Fire Chief quick to the scene

Bonds was in the area when he heard the call over the emergency radio. He responded within minutes. While trained to respond to calls involving multiple injuries, he said the call that night was somewhat different.

“I don’t think we have had a hayride accident like this before,” Bonds said. “The first thing that went through my mind was I needed to get there, rope off the area of the accident, and get triage started, going from the most seriously injured to least seriously injured.”

Upon arrival, Bonds said there were children and adults involved in the accident.

“When you have children involved, it’s a different scene,” he said. “Children are different than adults; you always think how you will respond ahead of time and assess the scene. With children, you want to make sure you reassure them we are going to help them. You want the parents there to help reassure them as well.”

Bonds said that while he appreciaties those who thanked emergency personnel for their response, emergency personnel is always there to help.

“We are here to help others and that’s our job,” he said.

Downtown Ridgeland got a little sweeter last month as Nadia Paez, along with husband Hector and children Denise and Christopher, celebrated the grand opening of La Potosina, a snack shop filled with delicious goodies based on authentic Mexican street snacks.

Its specialty is the “Chamoyada”, a fruit cup made with a zesty red sauce that adds a unique sweet and spicy flavor to a variety of fruit slices including pineapple and mango.

Other favorites include icy fresadas, duros preparados (deep-fried snacks topped with a variety of tasty ingredients), and elotes (tender ears of corn on the cob, slathered with mayonnaise, Mexican cojita parmesan cheese and spicy chili-lime powder).

Located at the corner of Jacob Smart Boulevard and West Main Street (7797 Main Street Unit B), the colorful shop, whose name means “Lady of Potosi,” represents the fulfillment of a lifetime dream for Paez who moved to Ridgeland from San Luis Potosi, Mexico nearly 20 years ago.

“My grandfather has owned a popular restaurant in San Luis Potosi for over 60 years and I grew up working there, “ Nadia said. “When I was a child, I always said that one day I would have my own restaurant.”

Ridgeland Mayor Joey Malphrus was joined by Town Planning Director Josh Rowland, and Kendall Malphrus, Executive Director of the Jasper County Chamber of Commerce, in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“We are very proud of the Paez family and all of our Hispanic merchants,” Mayor Malphrus said. “They are an important part of our business community and we want to do everything we can to insure the success of their business venture.”

Known for her boundless energy and enthusiasm, Nadia Paez adds the snack shop to a busy schedule that includes helping out with her husband’s flooring company, working as a home nurse, and hosting a daily radio show in Bluffton where she and her husband dispense advice and news to avid listeners.

She also oversees a community outreach organization called “Grupo De Apoyo Latino”, a Facebook organization dedicated to helping local Latinos with special needs. Since its formation, Paez and her friends have raised money to assist a Mexican national who needed funds so he could move back to Mexico and continue his dialysis treatments; a local youth suffering from acute myeloid leukemia; and Xiomara Vazquez, a young mother suffering from multiple sclerosis.

“Our group never asks people to donate money directly,” Paez said. “We prefer to use innovative methods like raffles and yard sales and concerts and fiestas so that the people who help us always get something extra in return.”

In September, Nadia, who is bilingual, volunteered to help emergency responders in Jasper County provide hurricane updates to local Spanish-speaking residents.

“We want to share love of Mexican foods with all our friends and neighbors,” Nadia said. “For Latinos, we offer an authentic taste of home. For our American friends, we offer something new and exciting to experience.”

After being educated in different classrooms and at different schools, a 14-year-old Hardeeville student has found comfort in online education.
Kaitlyn Haynes is in her third year enrolled in South Carolina Connections Academy, a virtual, tuition-free public school program.
Haynes, who had studied at Hilton Head Christian Academy, Abundant Life Academy and has been home-schooled, started with the Connections Academy three years ago as a seventh-grader. A ninth-grader who enjoys Spanish, Haynes said she values the teachers’ attentiveness. She can call or e-mail teachers and she’ll get a prompt response.
“I do appreciate that,” said Haynes, whose younger sister is also a South Carolina Connections Academy student. “Sometimes I’ll get anxious and think maybe I shouldn’t call, but they’ll call me no matter what.”
Haynes also appreciates that her teachers regularly call her with monthly updates and at the beginning of each week she’s given study guides and everything she needs to be prepared for class.
“I think they do want to help,” she said.
South Carolina Connections Academy, which is overseen by the South Carolina Public Charter School District, is in its 10th year of providing personalized online education to K- to 12th-grade students. As of June, the academy had 4,040 students enrolled throughout the state, including 25 from Jasper County.
The school offers myriad courses, including foreign languages, digital technology and web design.
Haynes said her typical day begins with lessons at 8 a.m., hour-long live lessons at 10 a.m. and she finishes around 3 p.m.
The live lessons allow students time to talk with the teacher and classmates via a webcam. Students can also interact with teachers and classmates through field trips, such as to the zoo.
Haynes said she enjoys the lessons — especially learning Spanish through Kahootz games — and doesn’t ever feel isolated. She still hangs out with childhood friends and feels connected with teachers and classmates. She said the experience isn’t much different than a normal classroom setting.
“It’s not that much different, I just do (classwork) from home,” said Haynes, who plans to study cosmetology in hopes owning a salon. “I still have classmates. I still have teachers.”
For more information, visit SouthCarolinaConnectionsAcademy.com.

Hardeeville is back being part of the Piggly Wiggly family.

“I am happy to have this store and to be a part of the Pig family,” owner Lou Sherman said of the store on Main Street in Hardeeville. “Response from the other stores has been great, the city of Hardeeville and the town of Ridgeland and surrounding areas have some friendly people and we look forward to continuing to serve their grocery needs.”

The store was a Piggly Wiggly in Hardeeville for more than 30 years before it was Price Wise Foods for about the last eight years.

The renamed store is at 7 Main Street in Hardeeville and is open every day from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. The store has grocery, produce and meat departments, with meats being processed and cut on-site for customers. The store also offers local produce and there will be more Piggly Wiggly private label offerings in the future, providing a wider selection for shopping.

Sherman purchased the store, and also owns Piggly Wiggly stores in Ridgeland and Port Royal. He said he hopes to have the transformation back to Piggly Wiggly in Hardeeville completed by Thanksgiving.

“The people of Hardeeville have been glad to have us there and the response from them has been great,” Sherman said. “This store has a hometown feel just like my other two have and we offer friendly service. We look to draw customers from other areas around the Lowcountry, including the Bluffton, Okatie area. We have a great location and people notice us as they travel into Hardeeville.”

The Hardeeville Piggly Wiggly store has 30 employees and having a local owner can have its advantages. Sherman said while other stores might not be able to provide an answer to a customer’s question immediately, his stores will provide the personal service that has a hometown feel to it.

“We offer quality products, the service is more intimate, we listen to our customers and ask for feedback, both complimentary and critical,” he said. “We can address any issue faster, we are here and the money stops here.”

Service within the community is also something that Sherman plans on continuing at the new store. His store has donated to the Hardeeville Catfish Festival in the past and also donates to local churches and other organizations.

“This is our third year for the Pig Pantry This is when customers buy a $5 grocery bag full of food and then we donate it to a local food pantry,” Sherman said. “We always do something, even if it seems small; we want to help out in the community. Knowing that the public can count on us to help makes us seem more like family.”

While there are no set plans for a grand opening yet, Sherman said he hopes to have an event of some kind in the future.

“I have customers who have been lifelong Piggly Wiggly customers,” he said. “They are the glue to the store, they hold it together and then their families continue to shop with us. We are proud to serve our customers and we are happy to have Hardeeville as a part of our Pig family.”

The Hardeeville Police Department is investigating an armed robbery that occurred around 2:35 a.m. Thursday at Parker’s Gas Station, according to a news release.

Cops say a suspect entered the gas station at 16319 Whyte Hardee Boulevard armed with a knife, holding up the attendant and demanded money from the register.

The suspect ran to the Pilot Gas Station where he got into a silver car, leaving the area. The vehicle was reported to be traveling onto Interstate 95 heading south.

If you have any information or know the subject depicted in the photos, contact Hardeeville Police Department Detective T.J. Hubbard at 843-227-4606.

Chief Sam Woodward said there were are no injuries.

Palmetto Veterinary Hospital has been named the Town of Ridgeland's Business of the Month.

Dr. Rob McBrayer and his wife, Ruth, purchased Palmetto Veterinary Hospital in at 409 S. Green Street, in 2010 from Dr. Chip Jackson. McBrayer and his wife moved here from the Tidewater area of Virginia where he owned a veterinary practice for 18 years and served on the Virginia Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners for six years. After selling his first practice in 1996, he did veterinary relief work all over the state of Virginia.

Dr. McBrayer grew up in Greenville and did his undergraduate at Clemson and veterinary school at the University of Georgia. He and Ruth were longing for a slower pace than the 1 million plus population of the Tidewater area, and he had a strong desire to move back to South Carolina, so they started looking for a practice in the Lowcountry. They fell in love with this area many years ago.

When they purchased Palmetto Vet, they did a complete renovation inside and out. They purchased all new equipment, including a digital x-ray, full blood analyzers, new surgery equipment and a therapy laser. It is a full service veterinary hospital. In 2011 they saw a need for a low cost vaccine clinic as many people were not getting even the basic rabies vaccinations. They started doing the vaccine clinic on Wednesdays only, and one year later started doing it every day of the week. It has been a great success

The McBrayers feel they have been blessed with a dedicated, compassionate staff, Kim Roy, Hannah Malphrus and Kimberly Jones, who have been instrumental in the growth of Palmetto Vet. They also contribute the practice growth to loyal clients that feel more like friends and family.

Rob and Ruth feel they made an excellent decision to practice veterinary medicine in Ridgeland and love the Lowcountry.

Members of the Ivy Garden Club gathered at the War Memorial at the courthouse in Ridgeland on Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11. After a brief ceremony, a wreath was placed at the memorial in remembrance of those who served from Jasper County.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham spotlighted three Jasper County projects as part of his visit to the county Monday.

Graham, who met the media at the Clementa C. Pinckney Jasper County Government Building, discussed the Ridgeland-Claude Dean Airport expansion, the Jasper Port and the Exit 3 project off Interstate 95.

“There were three big charts presented to me that explained the three biggest needs for Jasper County,” Graham said. “A new exit off of Interstate 95 to open up economic development, an airport to make it more attractive for people to come here associated with business enterprises in the area, and the port itself. If you can pull these three things off, then Jasper County will be integrated in a regional and world economy in a way that people long after us will look back and say thank you.”

Graham visited Ridgeland as part of his tour of all 46 counties in the state. He also visited several local businesses.

“It is great to have a Senior United States Senator working on our behalf and to know he is very committed to Jasper County,” Jasper County Council Chairman Marty Sauls said.

Graham said the port, on track for 2025, is a vital project.

“The port is sort of the game changer here,” he said. “I have spent a lot of time on the port of Charleston and I want you to understand I have never lost sight of the Jasper port. It’s a chance for the two states to do something together that would benefit everybody. If we can pull this off, then you would have people coming down to service the port, warehouses would be built; assembly facilities will be built. As the port grows, so will the county. The economic base of the county is changing; you’re having more and more retirement communities coming in.”

Read much more in this week’s Jasper County Sun Times.

Twenty-five middle-schoolers from Royal Live Oaks Academy were recognized as the “Distinguished School” for their performance at Georgia Southern University’s 36th Annual Middle School Model United Nations event in Statesboro, Ga. During the event, students are assigned countries to represent as they research, debate, and come to a consensus for a resolution.

The event featured 14 schools and nearly 400 students. Topics ranged from domestic violence, racism, human trafficking to North Korea.

The students, and coach Gregg Dixon, placed second overall.

“The event … highlights all the skills that students are expected to have in the 21st Century, such as collaboration, innovation, respecting differences of opinions and perspectives, to name a few,” Dixon said. “Students are able to learn about cultures and civilizations that they may have never heard.”

Eight of the students earned an honorable mention, equivalent to third place.

Devin Allums, who represented the West African nation of Ghana, said he loved Model United Nations because it “gives children the opportunity to express their ideas about serious issues that affect the entire world.”

D’Anna Scott, who represented the East African nation of Sudan, won “Distinguished Delegate” for her committee, the African Union.

She said the event was “a lot harder than expected because you have to answer questions about serious topics that a lot of people do not talk about but we need to because that is the first step to solving them. Next time, we are aiming for first place.”

Royal Live Oaks Academy earned 10 accolades overall.

“Our students are just as capable as any other students, Dixon said. “We went against schools who have a lot more resources, experience in competing, and many who are from more affluent communities and we went toe to toe with them. This just shows that students excel when they are held to high expectations academically and behaviorally and are given the support they need by parents, teachers, administrators, and the overall community. We have that and I am so thankful.”

Ridgeland-Hardeeville High school students Marquez Grant, Kendal White, Nykel Pinckney and Azude Brown (who now attends Step of Faith Christian Academy) returned home ready to lead after a week on Clemson University’s campus attending the South Carolina 4-H Clementa Pinckney Summer Leadership Conference. Nykel Pinckney served as a counselor, assisting adult leaders during the conference.

The weeklong conference brought 30 high school sophomores and juniors from South Carolina to Clemson’s campus for many activities designed to promote teamwork, leadership and citizenship.

Educational sessions focused on understanding various leadership styles and getting to know themselves better. Each participant left the conference with a “vision board” and a plan to make a positive impact on their community.

South Carolina 4-H created the conference last year to honor the late Clementa Pinckney, the pastor and state senator who was among nine churchgoers killed in June 2015 during a Bible study group meeting at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston.

Pinckney was a strong advocate for 4-H, the youth development arm of Clemson University Cooperative Extension. He’s one of the organization’s most notable South Carolina alumni. Senator Clementa Pinckney received the 4-H Distinguished Alumni Medallion from the National 4-H Council last year.

The weeklong conference ended July 29 with a breakfast featuring keynote speaker Sen. Vincent Sheheen, Sen. Pinckney’s deskmate in the S.C. Senate.

South Carolina 4-H offers the Pinckney Leadership Conference annually to rising South Carolina sophomores and juniors. Applications for the 2018 conference will be due in April.

For more information about the 2018 Pinckney Leadership Conference, contact Felicia Cunningham, Jasper County 4-H agent, at 843-726-3461 ext. 113 or fc@clemson.edu.

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said multiple guns, drugs and cash were seized Monday after warrants were served in the Mitchellville area.

A news release said the JCSO and agents from the S.C. Law Enforcement Division’s Fugitive Apprehension Team responded to Orange Grove Road in Mitchellville in search of Ra’sheed Fields, 24, and Kyron Shaw, 31, who were wanted for outstanding warrants for armed robbery and second-degree assault and battery by mob.

Shaw also had multiple municipal and magistrate level warrants, the Sheriff’s Office said.

During the warrant service, Sheriff Chris Malphrus said eight guns were recovered (five were stolen, he said) and 124 grams of cocaine, 27 grams of methamphetamine a small amount of crack cocaine, 37 Xanax pills and a small amount of marijuana. Also seized was $3,517.

Broddrick Lee, 28, was also arrested after he allegedly attempted to flee and threw down crack cocaine while running, Malphrus said.

Fields, Shaw and Lee face new charges of three counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crimes, trafficking cocaine and trafficking methamphetamine, the news release said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions voiced no skepticism Tuesday of accounts by women accusing Roy Moore of groping or pursuing romantic relationships with them when they were teens, and hinted the Justice Department might look into allegations against the besieged Republican Alabama Senate candidate.

“I have no reason to doubt these young women,” Sessions told a House committee. His words seemed certain to carry heft in Alabama, where he was a long-time GOP senator until becoming President Donald Trump’s attorney general this year and remains one of that state’s most influential Republican voices.

Answering questions before the House Judiciary Committee, Sessions didn’t rule out a federal probe into the charges.

“We will evaluate every case as to whether or not it should be investigated,” Sessions said.

His remarks came as House Speaker Paul Ryan joined the growing chorus of Washington Republicans calling on Moore to drop out of the race. Republicans fear damage from two potential outcomes should he remain a candidate: Moore wins and GOP senators are tainted by association with a colleague accused of molesting teen-agers, or he loses the Dec. 12 election to a Democrat.

“These allegations are credible,” Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters on Tuesday. “If he cares about the values and people he claims to care about then he should step aside.”

Senate Republicans face limited options in trying to force out the former state Supreme Court judge and outspoken Christian conservative, whose name remains on the ballot for the special election against Democrat Doug Jones.

One option they’ve considered is backing a write-in campaign with another Republican, perhaps Sessions or Sen. Luther Strange, who Moore defeated in a GOP primary in September. Strange told reporters Monday that a write-in candidacy “is highly unlikely.”

Moore is showing no sign of quitting, denying allegations by two women that he molested them and sending out fundraising emails emphasizing his stance as a maverick battling establishment politicians.

In one sent Tuesday, he referred to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina as “the forces of evil who are attempting to rip and tear apart me and my campaign with their filthy lies and disgusting attacks.”

At an abruptly called news conference Monday in Gallant, Alabama, after a woman surfaced with new allegations, Moore said, “I can tell you without hesitation this is absolutely false. I never did what she said I did. I don’t even know the woman.”

Moore spoke after a tearful Beverly Young Nelson, now 56, detailed new allegations to reporters in an emotional appearance in New York.

One night when she was 16, Moore offered to drive her home from her after-school job at a restaurant in Gadsden, Alabama, she said. Moore, a regular customer, instead parked behind the restaurant and locked the door to keep her inside, squeezing her neck while trying to push her head toward his crotch and trying to pull her shirt off, Nelson said.

“I thought that he was going to rape me,” she said.

Moore stopped and as she left the car he warned no one would believe her because he was a county prosecutor, Nelson said. She said her neck was “black and blue and purple” the next morning.

In Alabama, Jones unveiled a new campaign ad in which state voters, including Republicans, say they can’t vote for Moore.

Even before Nelson’s news conference, McConnell took a remarkably personal swipe at Moore, based on last week’s Washington Post reports of other incidents involving Moore and teen-age girls decades ago.

“I believe the women,” said McConnell, marking an intensified effort by leaders to ditch Moore.

Moore fired back at McConnell on Twitter.

“The person who should step aside is @SenateMajLdr Mitch McConnell. He has failed conservatives and must be replaced. #DrainTheSwamp,” Moore wrote.

Cory Gardner of Colorado, who heads the Senate GOP’s campaign organization, said if Moore is elected, senators should expel him “because he does not meet the ethical and moral requirements” of the Senate.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Moore “should not be a United States senator, no matter what it takes.” Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who’s not seeking re-election after criticizing Trump, said he’d “vote for the Democrat” if he had to choose between Moore and Democrat Jones.

Last week, The Washington Post reported that in 1979 when he was 32, Moore had sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl and pursued romantic relationships with three other teenage girls around the same period. The women made their allegations on the record and the Post cited two dozen other sources.

Moore denied last week molesting the 14-year-old but didn’t flatly deny he’d dated teenagers, saying in an interview with conservative talk show host Sean Hannity, “It would have been out of my customary behavior.”

Nelson said that before the alleged incident that Moore signed her yearbook. A copy of her statement at the news conference included a picture of what she said was his signature and a message saying, “To a sweeter more beautiful girl I could not say, ‘Merry Christmas.’”

The tumult comes with Republicans holding a scant 52-48 Senate majority as the GOP rushes to push a massive tax cut through Congress by Christmas.

———

Chandler reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Reporters Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington, Bruce Schreiner in Louisville, Kentucky, Colleen Long in New York and Rhonda Shafner at the AP News Research Center contributed.

RED BLUFF, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on deadly shootings in Northern California (all times local):

1 p.m.

A witness to a series of deadly shootings in rural Northern California says the gunman shot at a truck in front of him as he was dropping off his three kids at school.

Salvador Tello said Tuesday that he also saw a dead woman lying on a street about a quarter-mile from Rancho Tehama School. He says the woman’s husband was beside her and had been shot in the leg.

Tello says he was about three blocks from the school when bullets tore into the truck. He made his kids get down and slammed his vehicle into reverse.

Tello says the gun must have been large because the bullets made “big holes” in the truck carrying several men.

Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston says the gunman had a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns and was randomly picking targets.

———

1 p.m.

At least 10 children and adults have been hospitalized after a series of shootings in rural Northern California that left five dead, including the gunman.

Enloe Medical Center says in a statement that five people were treated there and that three have been released. Spokeswoman Nicole Johansson says three of the patients were minors.

Separately, three people were being treated at a hospital in Redding, about 50 miles north of the shootings.

The Record Searchlight reported two more victims were taken to St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff.

The hospitals haven’t released the extent of the injuries.

———

12:25 p.m.

California Gov. Jerry Brown says he and his wife, Anne, are saddened by the shooting in a rural northern part of the state that “shockingly involved schoolchildren.”

Brown offered their condolences to the families who lost loved ones and said they are united with all Californians in grief.

Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston says five people were killed, including the shooter, and that two children are among the wounded. Hospital says they are treating seven people, including three minors.

Johnston says the gunman had a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns and was randomly picking targets.

———

11:50 a.m.

Authorities say a series of shootings in rural Northern California left five people dead, including the shooter, and that two children were among the wounded.

Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston says one child was shot at a school Tuesday and another was shot while riding in a pickup truck with a woman who was also wounded.

Johnston says the shooter was “randomly picking targets.” He says there were seven shooting scenes and that there may be more victims.

Investigators have recovered a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns.

———

11:35 a.m.

At least seven children and adults have been hospitalized after a series of shootings in rural Northern California that left at least three others dead.

Enloe Medical Center spokeswoman Nicole Johansson said the hospital is treating four people Tuesday, including three minors.

She said one patient was flown by helicopter to the hospital in Chico, about 50 miles southeast of the shootings. Johansson provided no other information.

Separately, three people were being treated at a hospital in Redding, about 50 miles north of the shootings.

———

11:15 a.m.

A man says his roommate is among the victims in Northern California and that his neighbor was the gunman.

Brian Flint tells the Record Searchlight newspaper in the city of Redding on Tuesday that his neighbor, whom he knows only as Kevin, also stole his truck.

He says he and his roommate told authorities that their neighbor was acting “crazy” and threatening them.

Flint says he had been shooting “hundreds of rounds” from large magazines.

Authorities say a shootings at multiple locations have left three people dead and several others wounded, including students at an elementary school.

———

11:15 a.m.

A Northern California hospital says it’s treating three people shot in a rural neighborhood.

Authorities say three people were killed and several wounded at multiple locations, including an elementary school about 130 miles north of Sacramento.

Marcy Miracle, a spokeswoman for Mercy Medical Center in Redding, declined further comment.

Redding is about 50 miles north of where the shootings occurred.

———

10:40 a.m.

Authorities say three people have been killed in shootings at multiple locations in rural Northern California, and the shooter has been killed by law enforcement. Students also were shot and wounded at an elementary school.

It’s not clear if the shooter is included among the dead Tuesday.

Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston tells a TV station in the city of Chico that officers are investigating at least five crime scenes in and around the school in Rancho Tehama Reserve, about 130 miles north of Sacramento.

Jeanine Quist, an administrative assistant with the Corning Union Elementary School District, says no one was killed at the school but a “number” of students were shot and wounded.

Royal Live Oaks Academy Charter School in Hardeeville has been accepted to be a part of the Charter Institute at Erskine, according to Royal Live Oaks Executive Director Karen Wicks.

The school awaits possible transfer approval from the South Carolina Public Charter School District on Nov. 30.

“There will be a South Carolina Public Charter School District meeting held on that day, in part to review all of the information from Royal Live Oaks and eight other schools seeking a transfer request to be able to make a decision about the requests,” South Carolina Director of Communications Taylor Fulcher said Thursday.

Erskine College is in Due West, about 180 miles north of Hardeeville. It is a higher education authorizer which registered as a charter school sponsor with the state earlier this year.

If the charter school receives approval for a transfer, the school campus would remain in Hardeeville and the college would work along with the school.

Erskine’s commitment is to sponsoring quality educational opportunities for some of the most disadvantaged rural communities in the state, according to the program’s interim director, Cameron Runyan. According to the college’s website, Erskine wants to help South Carolina students gain broader options for elementary and secondary schooling.

Wayne Brazell, former superintendent of the South Carolina Public Charter School District, is assisting Erskine, according to its website.

Wicks said the school submitted its letter of transfer request with all accompanying documents on Sept. 22, based on a deadline which she understood to be Oct. 1.

“The board stated we would be able to make our formal presentation to them at the Nov. 30 board meeting along with eight other schools who had submitted their transfer requests before September 24,” Wicks said.

The program will be free to the parents and students. Daily operations at Royal Live Oaks and school functions will remain the responsibilities of the local administrative team, the Wicks and the RLOA Board.

“If a higher education authorizer had been available in 2011, we would definitely have sought sponsorship with the college or university,” Wicks said.

Wicks said once the charter school learned of the option, the board authorized her to look into the program and report back with my findings so that it could make an appropriate decision. She said with all of the information and background, the board authorized her to proceed to pursue the opportunity.

Wicks said if the request for transfer is approved, RLOA will be authorized by the Charter Institute of Erskine beginning July 1, 2018.

“This change in authorizer will provide many benefits to our students and staff that are not available to us through the charter district,” Wicks said.

“Tutoring, mentoring, professional development, college exposure, college experiences while in K-12 education, such as summer programs, grants, scholarships, collaboration on projects and research as well as other benefits.”

Wicks said if the charter school does not receive approval for transfer, the RLOA board will review its options.

“The board would need to determine if we need to appeal through legal procedures or wait and apply again for the following school year,” she said.

Three projects that Jasper County officials want to see become reality were spotlighted Monday by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who visited Ridgeland and discussed the Ridgeland-Claude Dean Airport expansion, the Jasper Port and the Exit 3 project off Interstate 95.

“It is great to have a Senior United States Senator working on our behalf and to know he is very committed to Jasper County,” Jasper County Council Chairman Marty Sauls said.

City of Hardeeville Mayor Harry Williams and Town of Ridgeland Mayor Joey Malphrus thanked Graham for coming to the county and recognizing the importance of infrastructure.

Graham met the media at the Clementa C. Pinckney Jasper County Government Building as part of his tour of all 46 counties in the state. He also visited several local businesses.

“There were three big charts presented to me that explained the three biggest needs for Jasper County,” Graham said. “A new exit off of Interstate 95 to open up economic development, an airport to make it more attractive for people to come here associated with business enterprises in the area, and the port itself. If you can pull these three things off, then Jasper County will be integrated in a regional and world economy in a way that people long after us will look back and say thank you.”

Graham said Exit 3 is vital for potential development.

“If another exit could be developed off of Interstate 95, which would be the first one coming in (from Georgia), that could open up a lot of land development; it could add a chance to increase development throughout the county,” Graham said. “I will do everything I can to help the federal government move forward by approving Exit 3, and then I will go to the state infrastructure bank and put my 2 cents worth in with them there.”

Graham said the airport, which includes a 4,200-by-75-foot runway, is important for the county’s economic growth.

“You’ve got an airport you’re trying to upgrade, double the size of a runway, which means the likelihood of businesses coming to Jasper County goes up exponentially,” he said.

Groundbreaking for the expansion was in January.

Graham said the port, on track for 2025, is the most important project.

“The port is sort of the game changer here,” he said. “I have spent a lot of time on the port of Charleston and I want you to understand I have never lost sight of the Jasper port. It’s a chance for the two states to do something together that would benefit everybody. If we can pull this off, then you would have people coming down to service the port, warehouses would be built; assembly facilities will be built. As the port grows, so will the county. The economic base of the county is changing; you’re having more and more retirement communities coming in.”

Graham hopes the infrastructure bill supported by President Trump will come to fruition by the fall of 2018. He said any infrastructure dollars that the state gets would first go to Columbia, but he’ll advocate for funding for Jasper County because he realizes many people want to move to the area.

“Road, water, sewer, the mundane things of government are the most important things when it comes to local government,” he said. “The future is bright, but the challenges are real.”

He was impressed that the county’s local leaders are working together to advance the county.

“The one thing that I always get refreshed when I come to these local government events is how nobody talks about partisan differences, not one word was said about a Republican or Democrat, it was all about us as a community and our needs are the same,” he said.

“It’s really good for me to be around people who can’t afford to just argue.”

Statewide, Graham said he’s not giving up on the nuclear power plant projects.

“It’s not over for me,” he said.

“I don’t want the people of South Carolina to pay for a hole in the ground.

“We’ve had nine rate increases to pay for these power plants and there are companies out there that can partner to build these plants. I am not abandoning these plants.”