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SECOND FRONT THE ITEM
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2013 Contact the newsroom at 803-774-1226 or e-mail news@theitem.com
2 men escape empty handed after attempted robbery of jewelry store BY BRISTOW MARCHANT bmarchant@theitem.com George Rogers has had attempted break-ins at his jewelry store before but none as brazen as the would-be robbers who entered the store Tuesday. It was 11:20 a.m., during the store’s regular business hours, when two masked men entered the store and smashed a glass display case with a brick. “One guy opened the door, and the other came in with a brick in his hand and threw it as hard as he could,” Rogers said. The crime occurred at Rogers Jewelry on Bultman Drive. Rogers’ wife, Eunice, was in a back office at the time of the attempted rob-
bery and dropped to the floor when she heard the commotion up front. “All I know is I heard a big crash,” she said. “It sounded like a gun.” George Rogers concurred. “My wife thought I got shot,” he said. Rogers was able to chase the two men, who wore bandannas over their faces, out of the store by threatening to get a gun himself. “I told them, ‘Come on. Come on, and I’ll blow your brains out’,” he said. Nothing was stolen, although a police report estimates the value of the smashed case, which contained various gold items, at $500. Rogers was at another end of the store at the time speaking with
a man he and his wife have seen in the store before and who they now think may have been working with the robbers. “He was just asking strange questions,” Eunice Rogers said. “He was acting like he knew us, and we don’t know him like that.” George Rogers described the suspicious customer as a man in his 30s with “a tattoo like lion’s whiskers on his face.” Rogers’ store already has an alarm system and cameras installed, but he said he’s now considering adding a door lock that can only be opened for the customer from the inside of the store. “Young people got no feeling today,” he said. “They’ll jump on you anytime, day or night.”
LOCAL & STATE BRIEFS | FROM STAFF & WIRE REPORTS
Man refuses to leave detention center, arrested for trespassing One man who reports say went to the county detention center determined to get locked up got his wish. Rodney Dwayne Fulton, 27, of 2505 Yarborough Road, Olanta, reportedly entered Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center about 3:57 a.m. Tuesday while wearing an ankle monitor and carrying the device’s control box. He told employees he had violated the terms of his house arrest FULTON for contempt of magistrate’s court and wanted to be in jail. He was told no one could admit him to the jail at that hour and he would have to come back in the morning. But Fulton reportedly wouldn’t take no for an answer and refused to leave until he was placed in a cell. Sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene and placed Fulton under arrest for trespassing. He was then transported from the front entrance of the jail to the rear, where he got his wish.
Counties group honors longtime official
PHOTOS BY ROBERT J. BAKER / THE ITEM
Brandon Jamal Butler, 21, right, was found not guilty on Wednesday at the Sumter Judicial Center of charges of attempted murder, first-degree burglary and kidnapping.
Jury: Man not guilty of attempted murder BY ROBERT J. BAKER bbaker@theitem.com Brandon Jamal Butler left the Sumter County Judicial Center on Wednesday a free man. Butler, 21, had remained at Sumter-Lee Regional Detention Center since his arrest in August 2012 in Birmingham, Ala. He had been on the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office’s Top 10 Most Wanted list since an April break-in sent a man to the hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg. A jury found Butler not guilty of attempted murder, kidnapping and firstdegree burglary Wednesday after a little more than 20 minutes of deliberation. Sumter Assistant Public Defender Tiffany Butler, no relation, argued that her client never left a Cherryvale home on April 14, 2012, the day a 27-year-old man and his 19-year-old girlfriend were held at gunpoint in their Eagle Road home. According to reports, a man forced his way into the home, held the victims at gunpoint and demanded money from them. In the course of the robbery attempt, the male victim struggled with the
Sumter Assistant Public Defender Tiffany Butler argued before a jury on Wednesday that her client could not be responsible for an attempted murder, kidnapping and first-degree burglary that occurred to a 27-year-old man and his 19-year-old girlfriend in April 2012. Jurors agreed, acquitting Butler after less than 20 minutes of discussion on Wednesday.
man and attempted to flee into the front yard, at which point he was shot in the leg. Butler attacked the victims’ statements to police on Wednesday during closing arguments, saying they were inconsistent with the actual physical evidence.
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“(The gunshot victim) said initially that he didn’t get a good look at the man who shot him,” Butler said. “And then on the stand, he admitted to lying. He also said it was a drive-by shooting initially. He missed three appointments with investigators, and then when in-
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terviewed again, his story changed to a home invasion.” Butler’s mother, Jocelyn Butler, testified Tuesday that her son could not possibly be responsible for the crime. She said the man was with her at a Cherryvale home on April 14. She also said he had not “fled the state” as alleged by 3rd Circuit Assistant Solicitor R. Kirk Griffin. “We traveled to Alabama for my brother’s parole hearing,” she said. “It had been planned long before we even left.” Griffin said during closing arguments that the trip was “convenient, because it was contrived.” “I submit to you that he left eight days after this incident because he knew what was coming,” Griffin said. “He knew he was going to be arrested and charged.” Butler disagreed, however. “I don’t know what happened at that residence that day,” she said. “We may never know what happened or who is responsible. But I do know that my client was not involved.” Reach Robert J. Baker at (803) 774-1211.
Sumter County’s special projects director, Bill Noonan, has been recognized by the S.C. Association of Counties with the president’s cup. Noonan, whose tenure as county administrator surpassed that of anyone else in Sumter County history, was recognized at the group’s annual conference last week, according to a Tuesday news release. “Mr. Noonan’s leadership in education, business and public service lends a unique perspective to his current position of special projects director and his 21-year career as county administrator,” said Charles Edens, a member of Sumter County Council and president of the S.C. Association of Counties.
Man pleads guilty to killing teen, gets 30 years in prison COLUMBIA — A man accused of kidnapping a missing Columbia teen last year has pleaded guilty in her death. A judge on Wednesday accepted a plea deal concerning 53-year-old Freddie Grant before sentencing him to 30 years in prison. As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to drop charges accusing Grant’s daughter of helping him hide the missing teen’s cellphone. Last week, Grant led officers to the body of 15-year-old Gabbiee Swainson. He has been serving a 17-year federal sentence for possession of ammunition he wasn’t allowed to have. Gabbiee’s mother last saw her daughter at their home a year ago.
Group launching same-sex marriage effort COLUMBIA — A group in South Carolina is teaming up with the American Civil Liberties Union to explore legal options for same-sex couples. SC Equality said Wednesday it was launching a “Post-DOMA Litigation Task Force.” Organizers said the all-volunteer effort will take a look at what options are available to same-sex couples who live in South Carolina and have a legal marriage from another state.
CORRECTION
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The date for the Goodwill Educational and Historical Society’s 6th Annual Fundraising Celebration was incorrect in Wednesday’s edition of The Item. The gala will take place Aug. 30 at the Sumter County Museum. Call (803) 495-3513 for more information.
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